Xi, Putin ‘to attend G20 in Indonesia’
As Russia's economy tanks, Vladimir Putin will become even more reliant on Xi Jinping's support. Photo: Getty
Chinese and Russian leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin will attend the G20 summit in Bali in November, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has told Bloomberg News.
“Xi Jinping will come. President Putin has also told me he will come,” President Jokowi, as he is popularly known, told the news agency.
The Chinese foreign ministry and Indonesia’s presidential palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Indonesia is chairing the Group of 20 major economies and has faced pressure from Western countries to withdraw its invitation to Putin over his country’s invasion of Ukraine, which his government calls a “special military operation”.
President Jokowi has sought to position himself as a mediator between the warring countries, and has travelled to meet Ukraine’s leader Voldymyr Zelensky as well as President Putin.
This week, President Jokowi said both countries have accepted Indonesia as a “bridge of peace”.
Leaders of major countries, including US President Joe Biden, are set to meet in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali in November.
During a two-day trip to Indonesia in June, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed to attending the summit despite the invitation to PresidentPutin.
President Zelensky has also been invited.