Vladimir Putin won’t attend the Group of 20 summit next week, people familiar with the planning said, as the Kremlin seeks to protect the president from potential high-level tensions over his invasion of Ukraine.
Ending months of suspense, Putin’s decision avoids potential confrontations with other world leaders, including US president Joe Biden who has labeled the Russian president a “war criminal.” The Kremlin also risked Putin being shunned by European leaders at the Nov. 15-16 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali.
