French President Emmanuel Macron during a press conference on Thursday (Mar 28) emphasised the need for consensus among G20 members, including Russia, before inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to the group’s summit in Brazil in November.
Speaking during a press conference in Brasília with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Macron said, “The meaning of this club is that there must be consensus with the 19 others.”
Why does the G20 need to decide Putin’s participation?
Macron’s comments come as Brazil President Lula previously, in September 2023, said that Putin won’t be arrested if he attends the Rio de Janeiro meet of the bloc.
The Russian leader has an active International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him over the situation in Ukraine. The international arrest warrant was issued in March of last year, and avoiding possible political opprobrium and any risk of criminal detention, Putin missed last year’s G20 summit in the Indian capital New Delhi.
“That (coordinating a joint decision regarding Putin’s participation) will be a job for Brazilian diplomacy,” said Macron, referring to Brazil, which is the current head of the G20 group.
(With inputs from agencies)
