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Putin accepts invitation to G20 Summit, Zelensky also invited

If Putin does attend the Summit, it will be the first time he meets face to face with Joe Biden since the beginning of the Russo-Ukraine war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky have both accepted invitations to attend the G20 Summit in Indonesia this year.

Earlier this morning, current G20 chair and Indonesian President Joko Widodo confirmed that Putin had personally told him he would be attending this year’s Summit in Bali.

Joko Widodo Vladimir Putin
Indonesian President Joko Widodo meeting with Vladimir Putin in 2014 | Credit: Mikhail Klimentyev/TASS

Zelensky has also received an invitation to attend the event but it has not yet been confirmed whether he will attend or not.

Not only would this be the first in-person meeting between Putin and Zelensky, but it will also be the first time Vladimir Putin will meet face to face with Joe Biden since the Russian President invaded Ukraine.

This is bound to be a bit tense, because just days ago, the US President was calling for Russia to be banned from attending G20 events, a request that the body decided not to accept.

Now, incase you’re wondering what the G20 Summit even is, it’s basically a group of 19 countries plus the European Union (hence the 20 in the name), who meet to discuss the global economy and other major issues such as climate change.

The participating countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the US and the EU, while Spain has been invited as a permanent guest.

Of the G20 members, China, India, Indonesia, and South Africa are the only countries to not place sanctions of Russia in the wake of the Ukrainian invasion.

The summit will kick off on the 15th November this year.