Von der Leyen says against boycotting G20 summit if Putin attends
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The President of the European Commission says careful thought must be given to shutting down the entire G20.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said she opposes boycotting the G20 conference if Russian President Vladimir Putin attends.
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Von der Leyen told German broadcaster ZDF at the G7 summit on Sunday that "...we have to think very carefully about shutting down the entire G20. I'm not advocating that. I think this is far too important a body."
She also believes the summit is a good opportunity for G20 members to address Putin face-to-face, adding that "then he should also take a stand."
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The European Commission President emphasized that the format is crucial not just for established countries, but also for emerging economies and that it should be kept.
The G20 meeting will be held in November on the Indonesian island of Bali.
The European Commission stated in April that Indonesia, as the current G20 chair and host of the November G20 summit, is the only decision-maker on the matter of extending invites to the conference.
It is worth mentioning that the Indonesian President and G20 chairman Joko Widodo took off on Sunday to Europe with plans on visiting Russia and Ukraine to meet with the countries' leaders to push for peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
Widodo is set to visit Germany from June 26 to 27 as a guest for the G7 summit, and he will then go to Ukraine to visit President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"The mission is to ask... President Zelensky to open a dialogue forum for peace - to build peace because the war has to be stopped," he told a press conference in Jakarta before leaving for Berlin.
US, UK to boycott parts of G20 over Russia's participation
In the meantime, the US and UK had announced that they would boycott parts of the G20 finance ministers' summit because of the planned participation of Russia.
The US had called for Russia's expulsion from the G20, launching an unprecedented boycott of it because of the war in Ukraine.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was clear that she was not planning "to attend events or meetings that the Russians are participating in," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing.
The Treasury Secretary will only attend the opening session of the G20, will use it to show support for Ukraine, and will meet with Ukrainian PM Denis Shmyhal.
Indonesia, which is hosting the club this year, confirmed that it had already invited Moscow and that Putin would attend.
