Russian G20 Summit Delegation Unveiled

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Presidential aide Maksim Oreshkin will lead Russia’s delegation to the G20 summit in South Africa later this month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed presidential aide Maksim Oreshkin as the head of the country’s delegation for the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa. Neither President Putin nor Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the event in person.

Oreshkin, a former minister of economic development, also serves as Putin’s special envoy for economic cooperation within the BRICS+ group. He is recognized for his role in formulating Russia’s economic strategy against Western sanctions and in managing international trade relations.

Other members of the Russian delegation include Kremlin aides Denis Agafonov and Svetlana Lukash, along with deputy ministers Aleksandr Pankin and Ivan Chebeskov.

The G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg from November 22-23. South Africa assumed the rotating presidency of the group in December 2024, marking the first time an African nation has led the forum. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed to leveraging his country’s chairmanship to promote development priorities for Africa and the Global South.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed last month that President Putin would not attend the Johannesburg meeting physically.

Earlier speculation suggested the summit could host a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump. However, the US leader has also opted not to travel, stating he will send Vice President J.D. Vance in his stead. Trump has previously accused Pretoria of pursuing an “anti-American” agenda.

South Africa has expressed satisfaction with Trump’s decision to send Vance, asserting the gathering will be successful irrespective of Washington’s representative. Moscow, for its part, has commended South Africa’s presidency as a significant achievement for the continent and a constructive step towards bolstering multilateral cooperation.