Putin has appointed a new Russian sherpa to the G20

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Denis Agafonov, head of the expert department of his administration, as the Russian sherpa in the Group of Twenty (G20) — the representative of the head of state in this association. The relevant decree has been published on the official portal of legal information.

Agafonov replaced Svetlana Lukash, a long—term Russian sherpa in various international associations. Lukash, who also works as deputy head of the expert department, received her final appointment in 2013, but has actually been in charge of the Russian Sherpa office since 2008.

Agafonov headed the expert department of the President of Russia in 2024. Before that, he also worked in the Kremlin, but in the Department of Foreign Policy.