Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Bali next week in person, the Russian embassy in Indonesia told CNN on Thursday.
Putin will be represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said Yulia Tomskaya, head of protocol at the embassy.
Tomskaya added that Putin is still deciding whether to attend one of the meetings virtually.
Putin’s decision not to attend the G20 summit in person spares him the embarrassment of confronting – or avoiding – other world leaders over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ahead of the event, Western countries and Ukraine pressured G20 host Indonesia to step up its condemnation of Moscow and withdraw its invitation to Putin for the summit.
US President Joe Biden, who is attending the summit, said in March that Russia should be expelled from the G20. Senior members of his government have pulled out of G20 events where Russian representatives are present.
But Jakarta resisted the pressure and tried to remain neutral. He invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the summit as a guest.
Zelensky said Ukraine would not participate in the G20 summit if Putin attended. He is expected to participate virtually in the meetings.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who met Putin in Uzbekistan in September, is also expected to attend the summit and meet Biden for the first time since the US President took office nearly two years ago.
