Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to attend the G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali on November 15-16, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on August 19.
Widodo also said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy haS been invited, even though Ukraine is not a G20 member. He has reportedly confirmed he would attend either in person or virtually.
Xi has not traveled internationally since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, he made his first trip away from mainland China when he traveled to Hong Kong.
Jakarta has faced Western pressure to exclude Putin because of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. However, Indonesia has sought to maintain a neutral stance, and Widodo has visited both Kyiv and Moscow this year.
The G20 summit also comes at a time of high tension between China and the United States over the status of Taiwan and Chinese claims in the South China Sea.