U.S. President Joe Biden is facing a difficult choice after Indonesia’s announcement that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will attend this year’s Group of 20 summit: join an event with two leaders he has sought to isolate, or skip the gathering and forgo a chance to shape its outcome.
As he prepares for the November gathering, Biden must confront the fact that nations like Indonesia are refusing to pick sides over the Ukraine invasion despite his demand that they do so, and have faulted the U.S. as much as China over increased tension between Washington and Beijing.
Either way, it was news Biden didn’t want to hear when Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Thursday that Putin and Xi would likely attend the gathering in Bali. That opens up the possibility of a direct encounter between Putin and Biden. Even if they avoid a handshake, the pair would quite literally share the stage during the meetings, photo sessions and ceremonial events that mark such a gathering.