GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN /Germany/, June 27. /TASS/. The West’s reaction to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s potential participation in the fall’s G20 summit should not undermine the group’s work, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.
"The Indonesian president, with whom we will talk today, has also invited Ukrainian President Zelensky so I don’t know who will be there ultimately, or what the list of participants will be like, but one thing is clear: the G20 needs to continue playing its role," Scholz said in an interview with the ZDF broadcaster.
When asked whether he would attend the summit if Putin took part in it, the German chancellor noted that "a decision will have to be made shortly before my departure and it may change significantly."
At the same time, Scholz emphasized the importance of joint activities within the G20. "Everyone agrees on that point. This is why there is a common belief that, like [European Commission President Ursula] von der Leyen has said, we don’t want to torpedo the G20," Scholz added.
In an interview with the ZDF on Sunday night, von der Leyen opposed the idea of boycotting the upcoming G20 summit in case Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the event. According to her, the G20 group is far too important, particularly for developing countries and markets. However, there can be no more "business as usual," von der Leyen noted.
The G20 summit is scheduled to take place in person on the Indonesian island of Bali in November.