The Russian president will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said Jody Mahardi, a spokesman for the coordinating minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs. Moscow’s embassy in Indonesia confirmed that Putin will not attend. “I can confirm that (Foreign Minister) Sergey Lavrov will lead the Russian delegation to the G20. President Putin’s program is still being worked out, he could participate virtually,” said Yulia Tomskaya, head of the embassy’s protocol. As host of the G20, Indonesia has resisted pressure from Western countries and Ukraine to withdraw its invitation to Putin from the leaders’ summit and expel Russia from the group over the war in Ukraine, saying it does not have the authority to do so without consent among the members. Indonesian President Joko Widodo told the Financial Times that 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 is meant to be for the economy and development,” he was quoted as saying. Indonesia has also invited Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who has said he will not attend if Putin does and is expected to attend in substance. Several other world leaders are set to attend the summit starting on November 15, including US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Biden, who has called Putin a “war criminal,” has previously said he had no intention of meeting Putin at the summit if he attends. The decision, which follows months of speculation, comes as Moscow suffers losses in its campaign in Ukraine and as the Kremlin tries to shield itself from Western condemnation at the summit. Russia on Wednesday ordered its troops to withdraw from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in a further setback in the face of Kiev’s counteroffensive. In August, an adviser to the Indonesian president said both Putin and Xi were expected to attend the summit. At a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in July, Lavrov walked out after telling his counterparts that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was not to blame for a global hunger crisis and that sanctions aimed at isolating Russia amounted to a declaration of war. The gathering was Lavrov’s first direct confrontation with Western leaders since Russia attacked Ukraine and accused the West of frenzied criticism of Moscow’s justified actions.
