Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the upcoming G20 summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 9-10. The Kremlin announced this decision on Friday, citing Putin’s “busy schedule” and his ongoing focus on a “special military operation” in Ukraine as the main reasons for his absence.
The G20 leaders’ summit, set to take place in New Delhi, is anticipated to be one of the largest gatherings of global leaders in India. India assumed the G20 presidency from Indonesia on December 1, 2022. In response to inquiries about Putin’s participation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed Moscow reporters, “No, the president has no such plans.”
Peskov indicated that the specific format of Putin’s engagement in the summit will be determined at a later time. Russia initiated a “special military operation” against Ukraine on February 24, 2022. India has consistently advocated for the resolution of the Ukraine dispute through diplomatic means.
“He (Putin) has a genuinely hectic schedule,” stated a Kremlin representative as quoted by the official Tass news agency. “And, of course, the main focus remains on the special military operation. So direct travel is not on the agenda right now.”
Putin’s absence from the recently concluded BRICS summit in Johannesburg was addressed through a video conference, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov representing him.
President Putin’s decision to forego the first in-person BRICS summit after COVID-19 was attributed to the issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March. The warrant was related to alleged plans to transport Ukrainian children to Russia. With South Africa being a signatory to the ICC, concerns emerged that Putin might face arrest if he attended the event.
