Zelensky won’t attend G20 summit in India
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's attendance at the G20 was "not reviewed or considered" by India.
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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet at the Grand Prince Hotel, during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Saturday, May 20, 2023. (AP)
Volodymyr Zelensky will not attend the main G20 conference this year since invitations to the summit were only extended to members of the Group of 20, according to host country India.
The announcement by Delhi puts an end to speculation and expectations that Zelensky will attend the event in Delhi, which would bring together world leaders from key economies.
Zelensky recently met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
Foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said during a special press conference celebrating nine years of the Narendra Modi government's foreign policy that invitations would be extended only to G20 members.
The idea of inviting Zelensky was not even considered after the final list was revealed at the commencement of India's G20 chairmanship this year, according to Jaishankar, adding that “G20 participation is for members of G20,” Jaishankar told reporters on Thursday. “And for countries and organizations who we have invited and that list, we had declared as soon as we assumed the presidency of the G20.”
“It is not something we have reviewed and it is not something very honestly we have discussed,” he added.
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Following in the footsteps of Indonesia, India, which has adopted a neutral stance in the NATO-orchestrated war in Ukraine, was facing questions about the participation of Ukraine's president.
Since the operation, Delhi has increased its purchases of Russian energy and remains Moscow's major consumer of arms.
Ukraine had urged the participation of Zelensky in the G20 summit during its first deputy foreign minister’s visit to New Delhi on 11 April.
“Presidency of G20 brings additional responsibility to India. My message during the visit is, let us consider the participation of Ukrainian officials at the G20 summit to be held in India,” Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova said.
“During the September G20 summit, my president will also be happy to speak up on behalf of the Ukrainian people,” she said, calling "Russia’s war against Ukraine unprovoked”.
