Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be part of the Group of 20 (G20) summit that is scheduled to begin in Bali next week. However, the Russian President will join one of the meetings virtually, news agency Reuters cited an Indonesian government official as saying on Thursday.
Indonesia has witnessed pressure from the West and Ukraine demanding to withdraw its invitation to Putin from the leaders' summit and expel Russia from the group over the war in Ukraine. The host nation refused the move saying it doesn't have the authority to do so without consensus among members.
ALSO READ: India's G20 Presidency: PM Modi Unveils Logo, Theme & Website (abplive.com)
In an interview with the Financial Times, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Russia was welcome at the summit, which he feared would be overshadowed by a "very worrying" rise in international tensions.
"The G20 is not meant to be a political forum. It's meant to be about economics and development," the publication quoted Widodo.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not take part if Putin does and was expected to join virtually.
A number of other world leaders are due to attend the summit that starts on November 10, including US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population, it added.
Notably, G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU)
Meanwhile, India will assume G20 Presidency from December 1, 2022 and during its G20 Presiedency duration, the country will hold about 200 meetings in 32 different sectors in multiple locations across the nation.
The G20 Summit to be held next year would be one of the highest-profile international gatherings to be hosted by India.