According to three sources cited by Bloomberg, Russian President Vladimir Putin will go to China for the Belt and Road Forum in October. Putin’s visit would be his first since an international arrest warrant was issued for him on charges of war crimes, charges which the Kremlin has categorically rejected.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has allegedly accepted Chinese Leader Xi Jinping’s offer to visit China for the top flagship project of his administration, and preparations are already underway in Moscow.
Well, that settles it. In a phone chat with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 28, Vladimir Putin said that he would be unable to attend the G-20 meeting in New Delhi in September due to his “busy schedule” and his continued attention on the “special military operation” in Ukraine.
New Delhi has also strongly opposed the G20 summit being a place for attention on the crisis in Ukraine, arguing that it is a “geo-economic platform” and that the “(UN) Security Council” is the proper forum for resolving conflicts.
Putin’s participation at the G-20 summit in New Delhi would have put him and, by extension, the Ukrainian conflict, at the center of a pivotal global conference.