Scholz called Zelensky's absence from the G20 summit in Brazil a challenge

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the absence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term expired on 20 May) at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro a serious challenge. The Tagesspiegel newspaper wrote about it on November 17.

"I don't want to hide that I am very sorry that unlike previous meetings <...> Zelensky was not invited to this meeting," the politician told German journalists before flying to Brazil.

He noted that he had made many efforts for the Ukrainian leader to attend the summit, but it would not happen.

"This also shows what a serious challenge we face," he pointed out. His words are quoted by TASS.

Earlier, on November 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the West's attempts to "Ukrainianize the agenda" of the G20 summit had failed.

The G20 summit will be held on November 18-19 in the capital of Brazil and will be devoted to "building a just world and a sustainable planet." The Russian delegation will be headed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Last year, one of the results of the summit talks was the expansion of the G20 - the African Union was included in it. As experts interviewed by Izvestia noted, this indicates that the West recognizes the growing political and economic influence of the countries of the Global South.