Not Attending The G20 Summit In Bali, President Putin Representatived By Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Wikimedia Commons/Yelakutmen

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend a meeting of leaders from Group 20 (G20) countries in Bali next week, but is rumored to be attending virtually at one of the summit meetings.

On the other hand, the Russian leader will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"The Russian president will attend one of the meetings at the summit virtually," said Jodi Mahardi, spokesman for the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia.

As host of the G20, Indonesia rejects pressure from Western countries and Ukraine to cancel an invitation to the summit to President Putin and expel Russia over the war in Ukraine, saying it has no authority to do so without consensus among members.

Meanwhile, a spokesman at the Russian Embassy in Jakarta confirmed that President Putin would not attend the summit, but did not provide further explanation.

It is known that Indonesian President Joko Widodo has tried to mediate geopolitical friction between forces in the G20, triggered by tensions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"(The president) has tried to calm everyone down and that seems to be happening now," Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan told local media in Bali.

In an interview with the Financial Times, President Jokowi said Russia was welcomed at the summit, which he feared would be overshadowed by an "very worrying" increase in international tensions.

"The G20 is not meant to be a political forum. It is meant to discuss the economy and development," he was quoted as saying.

It is known that Indonesia has also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said he would not take part if President Putin was present, expected to join virtually.

Meanwhile, a number of other world leaders will attend the summit starting on November 15, including US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.