Indonesia’s bid to bridge peace between Russia and Ukraine during its first G20 presidency may not even take off after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made it clear that the country will not send delegates to the forum’s summit if President Vladimir Putin attends.
In a press conference in Kyiv yesterday, the Ukrainian president said that he would not participate in the G20 Summit, which will be held on Nov. 14 and 15 in Nusa Dua, if Putin participates.
“My personal position and that of Ukraine is that if the leader of the Russian Federation participates, [then] Ukraine will not participate,” he said.
While Zelenskyy’s stance is not all that surprising, the statement is pretty much a nail in the coffin for any attempts to bridge peace between the countries.
Last week, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan said yesterday that he hopes Bali’s “aura” could help usher in peace between warring nations.
He added that President Joko Widodo can be the bridge for peace negotiations.
“Because world leaders will gather [at the summit] in a peaceful atmosphere, hopefully Ukraine and Russia can achieve peace,” Luhut said.
Indonesia, holding the G20 presidency for the first time, was criticized by some countries for extending invitations to Russia – a G20 member – amid the invasion of Ukraine.
President Jokowi’s administration has been careful not to explicitly take sides in the conflict. In fact, he was the first Asian leader to meet with both Putin and Zelenskyy – albeit separately – since the conflict began earlier this year in an effort to start peace talks between the two countries.
Russian officials have mentioned on several occasions that Putin will attend the summit in Bali, although nothing has been confirmed yet per this article’s publication.
