Germany Warns Of 'Putin's Trap' As Russian Dictator Plans First Trips Abroad After Ukraine Invasion

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that he is planning to come to the G20 conference in November, as members of the G7 countries warn other countries of the divisions that Putin may push between the West and the rest of the world.

Yuri Asharov, a close advisor to Putin, confirmed his attendance at the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia in November, though he has yet to confirm if Putin will be there physically or through virtual means due to COVID-19 concerns, according to Forbes.

This announcement comes as Putin visits two former Soviet states in Central Asia this week, visiting the countries of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan before meeting G20 leader and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Moscow, Reuters reported.

In Turkmenistan, he will be attending a summit with nations near the Caspian Sea, including Iran and Kazakhstan. He will also reportedly be visiting the capital of Belarus on Thursday and Friday to attend a forum with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

In spite of a slew of new engagements with other countries to maintain ties, the West has largely continued to denounce Putin for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has asked the world to remain steadfast in their rejection of Putin’s invasion, according to the Guardian.

“We must not walk into the trap Putin sets of asserting that the world is divided into the global west – the G7 and its friends in the north – and all the rest. That’s not true,” Scholz said. “There are democracies all over the world and they have very similar perspectives.”

The recent G7 meeting between the countries has largely revolved around the Russia-Ukraine war, to the detriment of countries invited by the G7 to participate in discussions regarding the food and climate crisis that affects many countries in the world today.

The announcement of Putin’s return to the world stage via his attendance at the G20 conference also sets up a confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was invited to attend by President Widodo.