Russia can be present at APEC summits in U.S. host states

December 14, 2022: -On Monday, Russia will be invited to be a part of the gatherings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) bloc hosted by the U.S. in the coming year, a U.S. official added.

As “good stewards of APEC,” the U.S. will invite Russia, a component of the 21-country bloc. Matt Murray, a U.S. official for APEC, told a media brief in Singapore.

Relations between Washington and Moscow to deteriorate their worst in 60 years since Russia invaded Ukraine, an act it states was a “special military operation” but which prompted sanctions and condemnation from Western nations and countries like Singapore.

At an APEC meeting organised by Thailand in May, people from the United States and different countries walked out of a meeting to protest Russia’s actions when Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov was providing remarks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was not there at a summit of the Group of 20 big economies in Bali in the previous month, even after an invitation from host Indonesia, which resists pressure from Western countries to not invite the leader and even eliminate Russia from the bloc.

Murray did not express whether Putin would attend the upcoming APEC leaders’ meeting in San Francisco this coming year. First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov represented the Russian leader at the leaders’ conference hosted by Thailand last month.