Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who heads the G-20 group this year, announced that he invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski to the summit to be held in Bali in November.
In his video message, where he also explained the reason for his invitation to Zelenski, Widodo said, “We understand that the G-20 has a catalytic role in the global economic recovery, and when we talk about the global economic recovery, there are currently two important factors; “COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine,” he said.
In a phone call with Zelenski on Wednesday, Ukraine turned down the demand for weapons, but Widodo, who offered humanitarian aid, said that he conveyed his invitation to the summit at this meeting. The Indonesian leader announced that he had spoken with Vladimir Putin yesterday and that the Russian President informed him that he would attend the summit.
“Indonesia wants to unite the G-20. Peace and stability are the keys to global economic recovery and growth,” said Widodo.
But as Western leaders demand to kick Russia out of the group of 20 of the world’s largest economies, that call may be impossible to fulfill. U.S. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and several other countries have expressed concern about Putin’s arrival at the summit and signaled that if Putin attends, they will not attend the summit.
“Russia should not be part of the G-20”
Asked whether Biden would consider attending the G-20 summit with Zelenski, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told Voice of America yesterday: “The president is clear on his view, this shouldn’t be an issue as usual and Russia shouldn’t be a part of it. ” said.
The President of the United States has said that Ukraine should be allowed to attend the G-20 summits if Indonesia and other countries advocate Russia not being expelled from the group. Biden made the proposal after a meeting with NATO members and European allies in Brussels last month, where he said they were discussing removing Putin from the G-20.
Analysts point out that Widodo is in a difficult situation with China’s support for Russia to stay in the G-20. The Indonesian government may have to decide whether it prefers Putin’s involvement to the absence of several Western leaders.
Using Widodo’s nickname, Gregory Poling, who studies US foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told VOA the best solution for Indonesia, “They invite Zelenski, and then the Russians decide not to come.” This way, Jokowi doesn’t have to make this decision,” he explained.
The Biden administration had signaled at the beginning of April that it wanted the G-20 to discuss the international economic repercussions of the Russian occupation and potentially the rebuilding of Ukraine.
However, the idea is likely to cause further disagreement in the economic forum. Some mid-power G-20 members, including India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, have their own agendas focused on post-pandemic recovery. The agenda of these countries does not align with the West’s agenda of isolating Putin and helping Ukraine.
Indonesia has identified three main topics for the G-20 presidency. These titles are; global health architecture, transition to sustainable energy and digital transformation. The theme of this year’s summit is the proposal “Heal Together, Heal Stronger” amid the new geopolitical rivalries triggered by Putin’s war.
Eva Mazrieva and Virginia Gunawan contributed to this article.