Rishi Sunak vowed to “call out” Vladimir Putin at the G20 gathering, as he said next week’s summit will not be “business as usual”.
Mr Sunak will travel to Indonesia for the annual Leaders’ Summit, where Britain has encouraged allies to stage walkouts when the Moscow delegation speaks.
The Russian regime will be represented by Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister, at the G20 after the Kremlin confirmed Mr Putin would not travel to the summit, but may still participate via video link.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Mr Sunak said: “Putin’s war has caused devastation around the world – destroying lives and plunging the international economy into turmoil.
“This G20 summit will not be business as usual. We will call out Putin’s regime, and lay bare their utter contempt for the kind of international cooperation and respect for sovereignty forums like the G20 represent.
“In clear contrast to Putin’s disruption, the UK and our allies will work together to make meaningful progress solving the economic challenges we face and making lives better for our people.”
Downing Street said the Prime Minister would use the G20 to continue to build “regional alliances rooted in our values”, citing examples including the Aukus defence pact with the US and Australia.
It is the largest international meeting to take place in the Indo-Pacific region for three years, and No 10 described the area as “increasingly important” to global prosperity.
Uncertainty over whether Mr Putin would travel to Indonesia had led to the prospect of a boycott that Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, had threatened to lead.
Although Ukraine is not a member of the bloc, Mr Zelensky is expected to appear virtually as a special guest.
Host nation Indonesia, which pursues a neutral foreign policy, has rebuffed calls from the West to disinvite the Russian delegation.
