The diplomatic nudging came after Indonesian President Joko Widodo,who is currently the G20 president,had resisted America’s calls to bar Russia from the summit in Bali.
It also comes after most ASEAN members,some of whom rely on Russia for military equipment,have avoided staunchly condemning Putin over the Ukraine conflict.
Speaking on her last day as White House press secretary,Biden’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki said while “Ukraine and Russia would not typically be a major topic of discussion at ASEAN” the conflict was a key feature of the two-day summit.
Behind closed doors,Biden would reiterate his position that it “should not be business as usual at the G20”,she said,and that “he believes that President Putin should not be a part of that.”
The president did not mention Russia publicly during his brief remarks ahead of a private meeting with the leaders on Friday,nor did he highlight the long-term challenge of China in the Indo-Pacific.
However,in a joint “vision statement” released after the summit,all leaders said in reference to Ukraine that they reaffirm “respect for sovereignty,political independence,and territorial integrity.”