Putin Still Planning To Attend G20 Summit, Western Leaders Frown

Russian President Vladimir Putin still intends to attend a G20 meeting in Indonesia, Moscow's ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation said. Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of G20 this year and will host the leaders of other member states at a summit in Bali, tentatively scheduled for October 30-31.

• The Russian ambassador noted that Moscow will honour its arms contracts with Indonesia and stands ready to fulfill its demand for wheat. Note that Indonesia is not participating in international sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
• Reuters reported that the U.S. and its allies are assessing whether Russia should remain member of G20. Any bid to exclude Moscow would likely be vetoed, as countries such as Brazil, India or China would not be willing to support the initiative.
• These obstacles reportedly "raised the prospect of some countries instead skipping G20 meetings this year." An EU source told Reuters that the bloc has made it clear "to Indonesia that Russia’s presence at forthcoming ministerial meetings would be highly problematic for European countries."