Expecting all leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) to attend the summit in Bali this November looks impossible, at least for now, although President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has accommodated the demands of western countries by inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the event. As indicated by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, President Joe Biden still rejects Russian President Vladimir Putin’s presence at the summit.

It is a bit confusing that Psaki said Washington understood the invitation was issued “before the invasion”, as if the White House is providing a “loophole” for Putin to come to Bali.

Indonesia has strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of an independent nation, Ukraine. The war has killed thousands of innocent people and forced millions of others to flee their homes. The devastating impacts of the invasion have gone far beyond the worst possible scenarios imagined.

While his ministers, especially Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, are preoccupied with the substantial subjects of the G20 summit and its preparatory meetings, President Jokowi now focuses on an issue that he never expected before Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Inviting Ukraine as a special guest to the Bali summit is much easier to do because as the host, Jokowi has the privilege to add tto the list of invitees. But Indonesia should first and foremost invite and make sure all G20 leaders turn up for the summit. The decision to expel or suspend any member should be a collective decision.

The G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

Had President Jokowi bowed to the mounting pressure from some G20 leaders who do not want Putin’s presence, Indonesia would have set a very bad precedent. Next time, big countries such as the US could easily force a host to bar a member’s attendance that Washington disliked. Apart from the US, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have also voiced the same demand.

Popular

Indonesia opts against visa fee hike to spur tourism

State-sanctioned intolerance

Why EV makers choose Vietnam, not nickel-rich Indonesia