Russian President likely to skip G20 Summit in South Africa

October 22, 2025

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit in South Africa, Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced on Wednesday.

He said that Moscow will be represented at the “worthy level” at the G20 gathering.

Russia to Be Represented at a ‘Worthy Level’

“Putin will not participate personally, but Russia, as we have said, will be represented at a worthy level. We will inform you in due time who will go there,” Russia’s leading TASS news agency quoted Peskov as saying during a regular media briefing on Wednesday.

G20 Summit Scheduled in Johannesburg

The G20 Summit is scheduled to take place in South Africa’s Johannesburg on November 22-23. South Africa holds the G20 Presidency from December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2025.

The theme for South Africa’s G20 Presidency is Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.

Ukraine Crisis on the Agenda

Earlier, South African Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said that Ukraine crisis will be discussed during the G20 Summit.

He made the statement while responding to a question from TASS.

South Africa will hand over the G20 Presidency to the United States in December 2025.

About the G20

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States and two regional bodies: the European Union and the African Union.

The G20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population.

G20 Presidency Rotates Annually

The G20 does not have a permanent secretariat or staff. Instead, the G20 Presidency rotates among the members annually.

To ensure continuity, the Presidency is supported by a “troika” made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries.

During South Africa’s Presidency, the members of the G20 troika are Brazil, South Africa and the US.