Russian President Vladimir Putin is weighing whether to attend his first in-person meeting with Western leaders since his forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, a Kremlin source tells NBC News.
The Russian president, facing an election in nine months, would like to relaunch himself on the world stage after a period of relative isolation brought on by the war in Ukraine.
Like Chinese President Xi Jinping, he would also be keen to woo countries that aren’t solidly in the Western camp at an event closely watched in capitals around the world.
Alexey Maslov, a professor and the director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, said the G20 event could be “aggressive toward him politically.”.
“The media at the G20 will be particularly dedicated to critics of Russia and the main question is whether President Putin will be able to present the Russian point of view,” Maslov said.
“If he can receive no guarantees, he will only appear online or will cancel his participation altogether.”.
In 2014, after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Putin was publicly shunned and sidelined during the G20 meeting in Australia. »
