RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin on Monday (28) told Indian prime minister Narendra Modi his inability to attend the G20 summit set to be hosted in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. The former said Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Moscow, a statement from the Indian prime minister's office (PMO) said.
The two leaders had a brief call.
The PMO also said that the leaders, who interacted during the BRICS summit in South Africa last week, also spoke on bilateral, regional and global issues.
Putin did not attend the summit in Johannesburg and addressed it virtually. He skipped the BRICS event in South Africa as the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
It was reported that Modi expressed his understanding of Putin's decision and conveyed New Delhi's gratitude for Moscow's support as it holds the presidency of the G20 grouping for this year.
The duo also agreed to remain in touch, the PMO said.
Speculation over Putin not travelling to India for the G20 summit broke last week after sources in the Kremlin said last week that the president had no plans to take part in the gathering in person.
The ICC's arrest warrant means Putin risks arrest when travelling abroad.
Earlier on Monday, Russian ambassador to India Denis Alipov said the decision on who would represent his country at the G20 summit would be made shortly.
"This is not my prerogative... I would suggest we wait for the official announcement. As regards his (Putin's) participation in the G20 and what format it will be (and) who is going to represent Russia at the summit... I think such an announcement will be made shortly," he was quoted by news agency PTI.
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