Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that if Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Group of 20 major economies summit in Indonesia, he will not attend.
"My personal position and the position of Ukraine was that if the leader of the Russian Federation takes part, then Ukraine will not take part. We'll see what it will be like in the future," he said.
Zelenskyy informed the media following his meetings with the Greek president in Kyiv that Joko Widodo, the president of Indonesia, had extended an invitation for him to attend the summit on November 15-16.
The G20 Summit preparations as well as the Black Sea grain deal were topics of conversation, according to earlier statements made by the president of Ukraine on Thursday.
Putin is still welcome at the world conference, envoy Jose Tavares told Russian official agency TASS, despite Moscow's ongoing conflict in Ukraine and increasing pressure from the international community.
The ambassador emphasized that Widodo's invitations to all G20 leaders will not be withdrawn, "even if other countries start putting pressure," and that the country hopes for Putin's presence at the summit.
Despite Putin's savage attack on Ukraine, Widodo has endeavored to retain a neutral attitude in line with Indonesia's longstanding nonalignment policy. In late June, the Indonesian president became the first Asian leader to visit Kyiv and Moscow since the invasion began.
According to Tavares the summit is an "opportunity for big economies to come together and solve the common problems we face now."
Along with Putin, the presence of Xi Jinping, the president of China, in Bali will be highly scrutinized. They will meet in person for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine at the summit, which will take place November 15-16, along with U.S. President Joe Biden and EU leaders.
Biden said in March that he believed Russia needs to be kicked out of the G20. In order to prevent a meeting between the two presidents in Indonesia, the White House is currently taking precautions.
The Kremlin has yet to clarify whether Putin would attend the meeting in person, which has been a source of speculation in recent months.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. In its ninth month, the conflict has killed thousands, displaced millions, and destroyed towns and cities. Moscow's operations are described by its government as a "special military operation."
