Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed the head of his administration’s expert department, Denis Agafonov, as the head of state’s representative to the G20, also known as the Russian Sherpa. The corresponding decree was published on Monday, May 4, on the official website outlet Legal information.
Denis Agafonov replaces Svetlana Lukash in this position, who for many years served as Russian Sherpa in various international associations. Lukacs, who also serves as deputy head of the expert department, received his final appointment in 2013, but has actually been in charge of Russia’s Sherpa office since 2008. Agafonov headed the Russian president’s expert department in 2024. Before that, he worked in the Kremlin’s foreign policy department.
US President Donald Trump said earlier that he would support Vladimir Putin’s participation in the G20 summit. According to the head of state, the Russian President’s participation in the upcoming G20 summit will be very useful. At the same time, Trump responded negatively to the question about sending an invitation to Putin.