Zelenskyy and Putin invited to G20 summit in Indonesia

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been invited by Indonesia, the current chair of the Group of 20, to attend a big ticket summit in November.

The decision to invite both leaders shows the delicate balance the Southeast Asian country is trying to keep as the G20 host this year. Russia is a member of the G20, and the countries in the grouping have been divided over their reaction to Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have an impact on the recovery of the global economy and it was in this context that he invited Putin and Zelenskyy to the summit in separate calls with them over the week.

“I expressed my hope that the war can end soon and a peaceful solution through talks can progress,” he said in a speech. “We understand that G20 can be a catalyst for global economic recovery.”

So far Putin has declined to meet with Zelenskyy even as the Ukrainian leader says it’s the only way to end the war. Talks for a temporary cease-fire have struggled for traction and there’s been no significant progress on a broader peace deal.

Zelenskyy’s attendance at the summit in Bali would “depend mainly on the situation in the battlefield,” Vysotskyi Taras, a senior Ukrainian government official, said on Thursday.

While Jokowi said Putin intended to attend, a Kremlin spokesperson last week said he had yet to confirm.

The U.S. and some of its allies have been pressing Indonesia to extend an invitation to Ukraine, frustrated at Jakarta’s refusal to exclude Putin. The host nation typically invites leaders from a handful of non G20 states to attend as observers, though they don’t sit in on formal meetings.

Russia has been heavily sanctioned by some G20 states for its war in Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden has said he would support Russia being evicted from the G20 entirely, although other members like China have opposed that.

Russia was evicted from the smaller Group of Eight following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

“Indonesia wants to unite the G20. Don’t let there be division,” Jokowi said. “Peace and stability are the keys to the global economy’s recovery and development.”