Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that he invited both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Group of 20 (G-20) summit that will be held in Bali this coming November.
The situation comes as Widodo, who is the chair of the G-20, said on Friday that he had telephone calls with both world leaders. He urged both leaders to negotiate and end the horrific war once and for all.
Indonesia's Peace Stance
The official's remarks reiterated the importance of ending the battle immediately and emphasized that peaceful efforts should be prioritized. Widodo added that Indonesia denied the requests of Zelensky for arms because it wanted to contribute to peace efforts. The Indonesian leader said the Russian-Ukraine war has had a major impact on the global economy.
Widodo noted that the G-20 played a crucial role in the recovery of the world's economy after it had been left in tatters because of the war. He added that, while his country refused to send requests for arms, it would be sending humanitarian aid, as per The Hill.
Putin's attendance at the G-20 summit was met with pressure from the West to bar Russia from joining due to its invasion of Ukraine. However, a compromise was reached to enable the Moscow leader to participate in the discussions.
During a phone call, the Russian president confirmed that he planned to go to the event, a decision that was announced during Widodo's live-streamed address. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that, while Moscow was preparing for the G-20 summit, it has not yet decided whether or not Putin would attend personally or virtually.
According to Aljazeera, since the beginning of the war roughly nine weeks ago, Indonesia has been facing pressure from Western countries, which are led by the United States, to exclude Putin from the summit. However, Indonesian President Widodo said that, as the host of the event, he must remain impartial even amid the war. United States President Joe Biden also suggested that Ukraine should be invited.
Russia-Ukraine War Updates
The situation comes as Ukrainian military forces continue to defend and fight back against Russia's continued offensive on various regions. Zelensky has spent much of his time in the backline requesting assistance from other countries.
International governments have chosen to impose heavy sanctions against Moscow in response to the war but have stopped short of direct intervention for fear of sparking a wider conflict. Asia has become one of the worst-stricken economies in the world, suffering issues such as increased geopolitical risk and volatile energy and financial markets.
Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on a five-nation tour that is labeled as an effort to "protecting peace" amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. His first stop was Indonesia where he was seen standing beside Widodo on Friday where he condemned Moscow's actions.
The official said that unilateral changes to the status quo made by force were "unacceptable" and said that they were urging for a peaceful resolution to the conflict based on international law. Kishida's next destinations will be Vietnam, Thailand, Italy, and the United Kingdom, Nikkei Asia reported.
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