G20 summit in autumn
Von der Leyen will sit at the same table with Putin

27/06/2022, 10:49

It won’t last until the fall, but the guest list for the G20 summit in November is already a problem – because Russian President Putin is on it too. European Union Commission President von der Leyen did not rule out sitting with him. Chancellor Scholz was still hesitating.

In November, the heads of state and government of the G20 countries will meet in Indonesia. The host country has made it clear that, apart from the war of aggression against Ukraine, it will also invite Russian President Vladimir Putin. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not rule out sitting with Putin. “It’s also important to tell him directly what we think of him,” he told ZDF on Sunday night.

“We have to think very carefully about whether we cripple the entire G20,” von der Leyen said. You don’t recommend it. The G20 is an “too important body” for that.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz was unclear about a possible meeting with Putin in the fall. The SPD politician remains open to his participation in the G20 Summit. It is clear that the group of leading economies will continue to play a “leading role” and close cooperation is important, he told ZDF. That’s why Germany doesn’t want to “torpedo” work in the G20. Therefore, he would only make a decision about participating in the summit “shortly before departure” and depending on the current situation.

So far it is not clear who exactly will attend the meeting in Indonesia. Not only Putin was invited, but also Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Indonesian President Joko Widodo, as the organizer of the G20 meeting, is currently a guest of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau.

Scholz warns of world division

In addition to the EU, the G20 includes 19 other industrialized and developing countries, including China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The G20 countries account for 80 percent of global economic output, while the G7 countries have 31 percent. All G7 countries are also members of the G20.

Scholz also warned of world division after the Ukraine war. “First of all, one should not fall into the trap set by Putin by claiming that the world is divided into the global West (…) and everyone else,” he said. “There are democracies all over the world and they have very similar perspectives.” That’s why he invited five guest countries to the G7 summit of Western economic powers: India, Indonesia, South Africa, Senegal and Argentina. Three of these countries – India, South Africa and Senegal – have not yet taken a clear position in Russia’s war of aggression. In early March, they abstained from a vote in the UN General Assembly to condemn the war.

Scholz said it was important to have discussions with these countries. “Russia’s war of aggression has consequences for the whole world: many countries fear a hunger crisis, many countries fear a massive increase in energy prices,” the Chancellor said. “And you have to stand together in solidarity. And we also want to show this solidarity here.”