White House: Russian official to attend G20 meeting in Houston next week
White House confirms a Russian participant for next week's G20 meeting in Houston but did not specify who will attend.
The White House said a Russian official will attend a Group of 20 (G20) meeting in Houston next week, but it did not identify who will be present.
Washington's statement gave no further details about the rank or portfolio of the Russian participant. The announcement comes ahead of the scheduled G20 session in the United States.
Earlier this year, Russia's finance minister, Anton Siluanov, attended a meeting of G20 finance ministers in North Carolina.
Comment by Russia's president at BRICS forum
Speaking yesterday at a business forum held alongside the BRICS summit in India, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he "doesn't understand" why the economic power of the G7 is so large, adding that in the last five years BRICS countries have generated more than 40 percent of global GDP while the G7 contributed only 29 percent.
The White House announcement did not specify whether the attending Russian official will take part in ministerial-level talks or other meetings attached to the G20 agenda.
U.S. and international officials have increasingly watched interactions between Russian representatives and G20 processes closely; Washington has so far limited its public comment to the brief confirmation that a Russian participant will be present in Houston next week.
Photo: press material from the event
