Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced on Friday that he had invited his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and he confirmed that he had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit scheduled for November in Indonesia.
I invited President Zelensky to participate in the G20 summitsaid the Indonesian leader, suggesting that a compromise had been found for the meeting scheduled in Bali, as members of the group have been deeply divided since Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
Indonesia, which is leading the G20 this year, has come under intense pressure from the West, led by the United States, to exclude Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began.
But Jakarta resisted, arguing that his position as host forced him to stay unbiased. US President Joe Biden suggested Ukraine’s involvement to find balance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a tweet on Wednesday that he had been invited to the summit, after a telephone conversation with his Indonesian counterpart.
Joko Widodo also spoke with the Russian president on Thursday.
” On this occasion, President Putin thanked Indonesia for the invitation to the G20 summit and said he would attend. “
In this conversation, Mr. Putin asked the hit of Indonesia’s G20 presidency and ensured that Russia would contribute to it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
But so far, it is not yet time to inform the terms of Russia’s involvementhe said, questioning the format of Russia’s participation.
Since Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine began on February 24, Westerners have sought to isolate Russia from the diplomatic scene.
A desire for neutrality in emerging countries
An April meeting of G20 finance ministers in Washington described the deep division of the group of the world’s major economies over the boycott of several meetings of Canada, the United States and some allies, protesting against involvement of the Russians.
But Indonesia, like most emerging countries, wants to maintain a position of neutrality.
Joko Widodo said on Friday that Indonesia would not send weapons to Ukraine, in response to a request from the Ukrainian president.
” I reiterated, in accordance with Indonesia’s constitution and foreign policy principles, that it is prohibited to send weapons to other countries. “
However, he offered humanitarian aid to Kyiv.
The war in Ukraine and the G20 were also on the menu for a meeting on Friday between Indonesian leader and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after they presented their convergences.
Joko Widodo stressed the role of the G20 arena in enabling dialogue and resolving the humanitarian impact of the conflict in Ukraine, while calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
I agree with the president [indonésien] that military attacks against Ukraine are intolerable, and a violation of the sovereignty and integrity of the territory by force and intimidation, and an attempt to change the status quo unilaterally by force, is intolerable in any region.said the Prime Minister of Japan.
Source: Radio-Canada
