Amid President Vladimir Putin’s plan to attend the G20 Summit in Bali — despite calls for Russia’s exclusion from the club — a top U.S. official has said they will boycott “a number of G20 meetings” if Russian representatives take part in them.
“[President Biden has] asked that Russia be removed from the G20, and I’ve made clear to my colleagues in Indonesia that we will not be participating in a number of meetings if the Russians are there,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said yesterday.
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis has reportedly put Indonesia, which holds the G20 presidency for the first time, in an awkward position. The increasing calls for excluding Russia from the summit poses a question on whether welcoming Putin to Bali would jeopardize Indonesia’s own interests in the G20.
Indonesia’s G20 Co-Sherpa Dian Triansyah Djani said recently that Indonesia has the obligation to invite all G20 members for the 2022 Summit.
Coconuts reached out to Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesman Teuku Faizasyah for comment regarding Yellen’s statement. His reply was short.
“Not every statement needs to be responded to,” he said in a text message.
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