Putin Speaks to PM Modi, Conveys Inability to Attend G20 Summit, Discusses Bilateral Issues

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convey his inability to attend the upcoming G20 Summit in Delhi from September 9 to 10.

“President Putin conveyed his inability to attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi on 9-10 September 2023 and informed that Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Sergey Lavrov,” stated an official statement of the PMO.

“The two leaders reviewed progress on a number of issues of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual concern, including the recently concluded BRICS Summit in Johannesburg,” the PMO statement read.

According to the PMO statement, PM Modi thanked the Russian President for his country’s support to all the initiatives under India’s G20 presidency.

The Delhi G20 Summit will be attended by several top leaders of the world, including US President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and French President Emmanuel Macron, and the UK’s Indian-origin PM Rishi Sunak.