Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told an Indonesian audience on Friday that he would accept the country’s invitation to the Group of 20 Summit in Bali later this year and that he remained hopeful that the event would be free of “occupiers”.

Ukraine has for the past three months resisted a full-scale military invasion by neighboring Russia, which now appears to be redirecting its forces to the east and south of the country after failing to take the capital Kyiv.

Despite enjoying widespread support from around the world, Ukraine has expressed frustration with its Western allies, accusing them of dragging their feet on arms deliveries used to combat what Zelensky has called a Russian “genocide”.

Earlier this month, Indonesia invited both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the G20 Summit in Bali in November, with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo urging an end to all hostilities to avoid deepening a global economic crisis.

Speaking directly to the Indonesian public on Friday for the first time since receiving the invitation, Zelensky said Ukraine had accepted the invitation “with honor and delight” although he hoped Russia would not attend.

“I am very grateful to your leader, the President of Indonesia, for his invitation to the G20 Summit this autumn,” he said during a live virtual event hosted by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI).

“I believe that the summit will have just friendly states and partner states and won’t have any occupiers or aggressors.”

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