Australian PM raises concerns over Putin's plan to attend G20 summit
March 24, 2022, 7:31 am

Australian PM raises concerns over Putin's plan to attend G20 summit

Excellent discussion with my good friend Boris Johnson today on the very concerning situation in Ukraine and implications for the Indo-Pacific (File photo: Scott Morrison official Facebook page)

The Swiss Info reported, Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday said he has been raising concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans to attend the next G20 summit in Indonesia this year.

Morrison said during a media briefing: "The idea of sitting around a table with Vladimir Putin, who the United States are already in the position of calling out (for) war crimes in Ukraine, for me is a step too far."

Russia's ambassador: Vladimir Putin intends to attend a G20 summit in Indonesia

Russia's ambassador to Indonesia on Wednesday said Putin intends to attend the G20 summit, dismissing suggestions by some G20 members that Russia could be barred from the group.

Source: swissinfo

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.