MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it still remained to be seen if President Vladimir Putin would attend November’s G20 summit on the resort island of Bali.
“A large number of international forums are planned for November,” Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
“If you are asking about the G20, then there is still a lot of time before the G20, as well as before other forums – we’ll wait and see,” Ushakov said.
U.S. President Joe Biden, asked if he would meet Putin at the G20, said he didn’t see a good reason for a sit-down with the Kremlin chief.
“It would depend on specifically what he wanted to talk about,” Biden told CNN, adding that if Putin wanted to discuss the jailed American basketball star Brittney Griner then he would be open to talking.
“I don’t see any rationale to meet with him now,” Biden said.
Asked about Biden’s remarks, Ushakov said: “I can say that Russia, we, never give up on negotiations, and any useful international contacts.”
“We never push away an outstretched hand. But if we feel, understand that a partner does not want to meet for one reason or another, then we do not impose ourselves.”
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
