US frowns on Indonesia's invite to Putin for G20 summit

President Joe Biden, bottom left, poses with other leaders for the family photo of the G20 summit at the La Nuvola conference center, in Rome, Oct. 30, 2021. Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moscow's membership in the Group of 20 remains firmly intact. - AP

JAKARTA, April 30, 2022 (AFP): Indonesia faced down US opposition and invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in November, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, its leader has announced.

Jakarta, which holds the G20 presidency this year, has been under heavy pressure from the West, led by the United States, to exclude Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, but it has argued it must remain "impartial".