San Francisco (AFP) – The United States will treat Russia as a full participant at this week’s Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco, despite American efforts to isolate Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine, a senior official said on Sunday.
First change: November 13, 2023 – 01:10
1 minute
Given the political impossibility of President Vladimir Putin’s visit, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk will represent Russia at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), which will take place from November 12 to 18.
“He will be treated as head of the delegation and will have the opportunity to fully participate in the week’s events,” State Department official in charge of APEC Matt Murray told AFP.
Overchuk is subject to various Western sanctions, including those of the European Union, but not specifically those of the United States, unlike many Russian leaders.
“We have said all year that we want to be good hosts to APEC,” Murray concluded. “But we wanted to do it within the laws and regulations of the United States. And Russia’s participation was obviously conditioned by the sanctions.”
However, the senior official acknowledged that Overchuk will “clearly not be at the same level” in diplomatic protocol as the leaders attending the APEC summit.
Among the leaders is another frequent US foe, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will meet host President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
The United States has rejected most contacts with Russia since Putin defied American warnings and launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, bringing billions of dollars in aid to Kiev.
Putin is facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court and he did not attend this year’s summits in South Africa and India – countries much closer to Russia than the United States – although he recently traveled to China.
Last month, the State Department made it publicly clear that it would not host Putin in San Francisco, prompting Russia to respond that it was up to each APEC member to decide on its own representation.
© 2023 AFP