Vladimir Putin will not attend a gathering of G20 leaders in Indonesia next week, officials have confirmed, avoiding the platform where he would face western leaders for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is set to lead the Russian delegation at the two-day summit in Bali, beginning 15 November.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the chief of support for G20 events, told reporters in Denpasar, Indonesia that Mr Putin confirmed his absence from the summit to Indonesian president Joko Widodo and confirmed that Mr Lavrov will be present on his behalf.
