For some, it already seemed to be proof that the most important democratic industrialized countries that courted emerging and developing countries at the G7 summit had a positive effect: Russian President Waldimir Putin will not personally attend the Indonesian G20 summit in the autumn coming to the island. of Bali, announced the Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Draghi, after the meeting in Elmau.
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Indonesian President Joko Widodo, as host of the G20 meeting, told him this clearly, Draghi reported on Tuesday. “Widodo dismisses that and was categorical. He (Putin) will not come.”
Indonesia is one of the emerging countries that is now courting the G7, among other things, with a global package worth $600 billion to expand infrastructure. But unlike the West, the largest predominantly Muslim country, with a population of 274 million, does not think of condemning Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Instead, Widodo expressly invited Putin to the G20 summit in Bali. The G20 is the union of the most important industrialized and emerging countries, the G7 is part of it.
The West doesn’t want to sit at the same table with him, but Indonesia invited him to the G20 summit in Bali anyway: Vladimir…Photo: Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin Pool/Planet Pix via ZUMA Wire/dpa
In doing so, the Indonesian president has shamed Western leaders, who see Putin as a war criminal they would likely be reluctant to be photographed with. On the other hand, important Western countries have no interest in rendering the G20 group non-functional by not participating and leaving the stage only for Putin. This was stated in Elmau by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
However, Draghi also pointed out that Putin may be involved in the G20 summit via a video link. “Let’s see what happens,” Draghi said. Moscow reacted immediately. “Well, that’s definitely not Draghi. The invitation came and we responded positively,” Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told Interfax news agency.
International policy experts warn against false expectations. “Regardless of what Widodo allegedly told Draghi: we have to expect Putin to be present at the G20 meeting, either in person or in connection,” said Thorsten Benner, founding director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPI) think tank. . daily mirror.
The West must “prepare to express its views, as the chancellor also emphasized after the G7 summit”. Because the host country, Indonesia, will not disinvite Putin and will not take a clear anti-Putin course.
The head of the think tank is positive about the fact that the Indonesian guest is now leaving on a peace mission to Kyiv and Moscow: “It is a step forward that the Indonesian president is also traveling to Kyiv and has also invited Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a guest to the G20 – Meeting to speak. And it would be a goal against the G7 if they didn’t give their full weight to the G20 in Indonesia, with or without Putin.”
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Widodo arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday. A meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was planned for the afternoon. Widodo had previously said he would appeal to Zelenskyy to agree to peace talks. On Thursday, the Indonesian president plans to travel to Russia to meet with Putin and urge him to end the war to avoid a global food crisis.