Zelensky says he will not attend G20 summit if Putin is present

Ukraine is making its participation in the G20 summit in Indonesia on November 15 and 16 conditional on the presence of wartime opponent Russia.

If Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in Kiev on Thursday that he will not attend, according to the UNIAN news agency.

This was his "personal position and the position of the country," Zelensky said. Ukraine was invited even though it is not a member of the Group of 20 (G20) leading world economies, Zelensky said. "We will see. There are still a few days to go."

Putin has so far left open whether he will travel to Bali.

Zelensky had repeatedly called for Russia to be expelled from the G20 group because of the war he ordered on Ukraine.

As host of the summit, Indonesian President Joko Widodo had specifically invited Putin and said he was expecting the head of the Kremlin. He had also announced a peace initiative for Ukraine.

At the summit, Indonesia would invite everyone to sit down together and engage in constructive dialogue, Widodo said at the end of October.