Putin likely to attend G20 summit in India as Kremlin opens up his schedule

 

Russia is freeing up Vladimir Putin's schedule around the upcoming G20 summit in India from September 9-10, in an effort to make it possible for the president to participate in the high-profile gathering after skipping the last two, according to people familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that aren't yet announced.

Kremlin defiance is seeing incredible growth as efforts by the West to isolate Russia over its so-called special military operation in Ukraine are stalling in the face of reluctance among other countries to join.

Officials recently postponed an annual economic forum in Vladivostok to a week later to offer the Russian president greater flexibility and even introduce the possibility of senior officials from China and India attending the forum, the people said.

Formally, India has invited Putin to the September summit and the Kremlin has accepted.

Putin dropped plans to attend the G20 summit in Indonesia last year and sent Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his place, amid pressure from the Western nations over the war. He also skipped the gathering in Rome a year earlier while he was planning the invasion.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Moscow this year, as trade between the two countries surges despite a series of sanctions imposed on Russia by the West.

Since the invasion last year, India has seen trade surge with Russia and hasn't joined the US and European sanctions. The two countries are continuing with established diplomatic engagements despite unease in New Delhi over the war.