Indonesia chairs the Group of 20 Major Economies and has faced pressure from Western countries to withdraw its invitation to Putin over his country’s invasion of Ukraine, which his government calls a “special military operation.” Indonesian President Widodo has tried to position himself as a mediator between the warring countries and has traveled to meet both the presidents of Ukraine and Russia.
He traveled to Kiev and Moscow in late June to meet with his Ukrainian and Russian colleagues, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, in a diplomatic effort to soften the impact of the ongoing war on the international community.
This week, Mr Widodo said that both countries have accepted Indonesia as a “bridge of peace”.
He told Bloomberg: “Xi Jinping will come. President Putin has also told me he will come.”
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment. Nor did Indonesian presidential palace officials immediately respond to requests for comment.
Leaders from major countries, including US President Joe Biden and successor Boris Johnson, will meet in November on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali.
Indonesia has also invited Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Meanwhile, Indonesia is at the “peak” of global leadership, President Joko Widodo said in his annual state address on Tuesday, as he praised the country’s growing status amid efforts to bridge peace between Russia and Ukraine, and head of several global multilateral bodies.
He was the first Asian leader to meet with both Zelensky and Putin since the invasion began in late February.
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He said: “In 2022 we will chair the G20, an international forum made up of the world’s largest economies. Next year we will take over the presidency of ASEAN.
“This indicates that we are at the height of global leadership.”
The president added that the international community’s trust in Indonesia has “increased greatly”, which in turn gave the country a great opportunity to build global partnerships.
With a population of 280 million, Indonesia is one of the world’s largest economies, with a constant annual growth rate of about 6 percent.