Russia’s Putin has China’s support in the G20 series

Jakarta, March 23 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to attend the next G20 summit in Indonesia later this year, and has received Beijing’s valuable support for suggestions by some members that Russia could be barred from the group.

Sources in the debate told Reuters that the United States and its Western allies were considering whether Russia should remain in the group of twenty major economies following its occupation of Ukraine.

But any move to exclude Russia could be vetoed by others in the group, sources said, adding that some countries would rather raise the possibility of avoiding G20 meetings. read more

Russia’s ambassador to Indonesia, who currently holds a spinning G20 chair, said Putin planned to travel to the Indonesian resort island of Bali in November for the G20 summit.

“It depends on many things, including the situation in Kovit, it is getting better. So far, his intention … he wants,” Ambassador Lyudmila Vorobieva told a news conference.

Asked about proposals to expel Russia from the G20, he said it was a forum to discuss economic issues and not a crisis like Ukraine.

“Of course, expelling Russia from this kind of forum would not help solve these economic problems. On the contrary, it would be difficult to do so without Russia.”

China, which has not condemned Russia’s invasion and criticized Western sanctions, defended Moscow on Wednesday, calling Russia a “key member” of the G20.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenpin said the G20 group needed to find answers to key issues such as the economic recovery from the Kovit-19 epidemic.

“No member has the right to remove another country from its membership. The G20 must implement genuine diversity and strengthen solidarity and cooperation,” he told a news conference.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry has declined to comment on calls for Russia’s exemption from the G20.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops to Ukraine on February 24, which he called a “special military operation” that militarized and “reduced” the country. Ukraine and the West say Putin has launched an unprovoked war of aggression. read more

‘Busy with something else’

Russia faces the onslaught of Western-led international sanctions aimed at isolating it from the global economy, including closing it from the Swift Global Bank messaging system and restricting its central bank transactions.

On Tuesday, Poland said it had recommended to US trade officials that Russia be included in the G20 group and had received a “positive response” to the suggestion.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholes said the G20 members should decide, but the issue was not a priority now.

“When it comes to the question of how to proceed with the WTO (World Trade Organization) and the G20, this question needs to be discussed with the countries concerned and not decided individually,” Scholz said.

“It is clear that we are busy with something other than joining such meetings. We urgently need a ceasefire.”

When US President Joe Biden meets with allies in Brussels on Thursday, it is almost certain that Russia’s participation in the G20 will be discussed.

US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan told reporters: “We believe that Russia can not be as business as usual in the international arena and in the international community.

EU sources separately confirmed the discussions on Russia’s position at the G20 meetings.

“Indonesia has been made very clear that Russia’s presence at the forthcoming cabinet meetings will be very problematic for European countries,” the source said, adding, however, that there was no clear process for avoiding one country.

The deputy governor of Indonesia’s central bank, Dodi Pudi Valuyo, said on Monday that Jakarta’s position was neutral and would use its G20 leadership to resolve the issue, but that there was a “strong commitment” to attend Russia and that other members could not prevent it. Doing so.

Andrea Schall and Alex Alber in Washington, Marek Stroeszeck in Warsaw, Emma Forge in Brussels, Gayatri Suroy in Geneva, Andreas Ring in Berlin

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