President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, this year’s chair of the G20, has insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin be invited to attend the G20 Summit in Bali in November, despite shrieks from the West to boycott the meeting if he does. However, as those shrieks have not succeeded very well in winning more of the world to their side, the tone is beginning to change.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week said that even if Putin were to attend the G20, she would not oppose it. “It’s important to tell him to his face what we think of him and what we think of this type of action,” she said, adding that the G20 is too important a body to be “destroyed” by Putin. Charles Michel, EU Council President, added in an interview on June 26 that he would not “torpedo” the G20 because of Putin’s attendance, and that he would be willing to go and speak honestly with him. A senior EU official also reportedly said of the discussion: “Diplomacy is not about having just cozy chats with your like-minded friends.”
