Premature speculation about President Putin’s possible visit to the US should be avoided; such visits involve major administrative and travel difficulties, says Dmitry Peskov
MOSCOW (Voice of Russia): The Kremlin has made it clear that no final decision has yet been taken on President Vladimir Putin’s participation in the G20 summit to be held in the United States. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, stressing that premature speculation about President Putin’s possible visit to the US should be avoided, said arrangements for international visits of this nature are always complex and involve a number of practical difficulties and challenges.
Answering a question from Russian television journalist Pavel Zarubin, Dmitry Peskov said it is too early to speak about President Putin’s possible participation in the G20 summit, because such visits involve major travel, administrative and logistical difficulties.
The Kremlin spokesman had been asked whether, if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to meet the US and Chinese presidents in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, he could then accept the invitation to attend the G20 summit in the US state of Florida.
Responding cautiously to the question, Dmitry Peskov said it would not be appropriate to say anything definitive about this possibility at present. He pointed out that high-level international visits require extensive arrangements and a number of practical matters to be taken into account.
The next G20 summit has been announced for December 14 and 15 in Doral, near the city of Miami in the US state of Florida, where leaders of the world’s major economies are expected to attend.
The Kremlin had already made it clear earlier that no decision has yet been taken on President Vladimir Putin attending the G20 summit in Florida in person.
On the other hand, US President Donald Trump has expressed the wish that he would like to see Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit.
The Kremlin’s latest statement makes it clear that the matter of the Russian President’s possible participation remains undecided for now, and no formal decision in this regard has been announced by Moscow.
The Kremlin’s position on President Putin’s possible participation comes at a time when there is keen interest in diplomatic circles over the upcoming G20 summit in the United States and possible meetings of world leaders.
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