Putin's visit to G20 summit will be decided on many factors including security: Kremlin

As the ruthless war between Russia and Ukraine continues unabated, the Kremlin stated that the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the G20 summit would be determined after deciding "all factors," which would also include security, Tass reported. Notably, the Bali Summit is scheduled to take place in Indonesia in November.  

Earlier in July, the Russian Foreign Ministry cast doubt on the confirmation of the President's potential visit after informing Indonesia of their leader Putin's plan to attend the Group of 20 (G20) meeting. The invitation was made to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who will be hosting the event. Additionally, he stated that the Russian President had verbally agreed to attend the meeting during a phone call. 

Furthermore, as per media reports, the format in which Putin will attend the summit would depend on the geopolitical situation, Kremlin stated. However, it has been announced that Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, will head a team at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which will take place in Bali, Indonesia. Putin's attendance at the meeting is "envisaged," according to Yury Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president who spoke to Interfax. This participation might be in person or over a video link. 

European Commission President registered objection regarding Putin's invitation

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen had told ZDF during an interview that Bali had to think "very carefully whether we paralyze the entire G20; I don’t advocate that. In my opinion, the G20 is too important, also for the developing countries, the emerging countries, that we should let this body be broken by Putin.” Zelenskyy was also invited by Indonesia in an effort to start negotiations, despite the fact that Ukraine is not a G20 member. 

In the meantime, the United Kingdom said that Russia had no "moral right" to attend the G20 conference, according to a British Foreign Ministry official quoted by the Kyiv Independent. Rishi Sunak, a member of the UK parliament, has also asked the G20 to exclude Vladimir Putin from attending meetings until Russia finishes its aggression in Ukraine. 

A representative for Sunak stated that UK’s G20 partners and allies have a collective responsibility to denounce Putin's abhorrent behaviour. A representative for Sunak stated that it is everyone's duty to denounce Putin's abhorrent behaviour in the G20. According to the spokesman, "Sitting round a table with him isn’t good enough when he is responsible for children being killed in their beds as they sleep,” the Kyiv Independent reported. The spokesperson continued by saying that they needed to make it clear to Putin that he couldn't sit down with them until he put a stop to the unlawful fighting in Ukraine. 

(Image: AP)