Delhi G20 summit: Uncertainty over Putin’s presence

New Delhi, August 5

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said it is still unclear who would lead the Russian delegation at the G20 summit in India next month. “No, it’s still unclear” Peskov said in response to a question at a news briefing in Moscow on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has opted out of attending the BRICS summit later this month in South Africa and will appear by video-conferencing instead.

Earlier, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said invitations to the summit had been sent to all G20 leaders and that South Block was hopeful that they would attend the meeting.

This year, the Russian delegation for the BRICS summit will also be led by Lavrov. Putin participated in the 2021 and 2020 summits via a video link. His last in-person appearance at a G20 summit was in 2019.