Format of Putin's participation in G20, APEC summits depends, in particular, on presence of other leaders, Covid-19 situation - presidential aide Ushakov

MOSCOW. Sept 8 (Interfax) - The format of Russian President Vladimir Putin's participation in the G20 and APEC summits depends on many factors, including the Covid-19 situation and the presence of other leaders, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said at a press briefing in Moscow,

"We are expecting the president's participation but we will confirm it later, as we still need to take a number of factors, such as the Covid-19 situation, into account," Ushakov said.

The issue will be clarified later, he said.

"However, the most [significant] thing is the format of participation of other leaders. We have yet to receive a confirmation in regard to the Chinese representative. The combination of these factors will serve as a basis for the decision on the in-person participation [of the president]. Although we have received an invitation from the Indonesian presidency, as we have said many times before. We have replied that we are considering the possibility of our participation with gratitude," Ushakov said.

"What is more, I can tell you that viewing teams have been there, they have visited, looked at hotels and made bookings," he said.

"A decision whether the president participates in person or by video link will be made depending on the general situation. In this case, a lot will depend on the participation of other leaders," Ushakov said.