G20 considers condemning Russian invasion
Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) nations were considering a draft resolution on Tuesday in which most members strongly condemn the war in Ukraine and stress it is exacerbating fragilities in the global economy.
The summit on the Indonesian island of Bali is the first G20 leaders’ meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
The war has overshadowed the meeting despite calls from host Indonesia for unity and to focus on action to resolve global economic problems like inflation, and food and energy security.
“Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy,” a 16-page draft of the declaration reads.
“There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions,” adds the draft.
It has not been adopted by the leaders and is likely to be opposed by Russia. A decision on the resolution was unlikely before Wednesday.
G20 ministers’ gatherings in the past have failed to produce joint declarations due to disagreement between Russia and other members on language, including on how to describe the war in Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the summit in a virtual address that now was the time to stop Russia’s war in his country under a plan he has proposed “justly and on the basis of the UN Charter and international law.”
He called for restoring “radiation safety” with regard to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, introducing price restrictions on Russian energy resources, and expanding a grain export initiative.
“Please choose your path for leadership and together we will surely implement the peace formula,” he said.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, standing in for President Vladimir Putin in Bali, remained in the room while Zelenskiy made his address.
The summit opened with a plea by Indonesian President Joko Widodo for unity and concrete action to mend the global economy despite deep rifts over the war.
“We have no other option, collaboration is needed to save the world,” he said. “G20 must be the catalyst for inclusive economic recovery. We should not divide the world into parts. We must not allow the world to fall into another cold war.”
The G20 accounts for more than 80% of the world’s gross domestic product, 75% of international trade and 60% of its population.
On Tuesday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed during a bilateral meeting that it was urgent to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine, to co-operate more closely to overcome the consequences of the war there and and reaffirmed their opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.
On Monday, US president Joe Biden and Xi “underscored their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine” during their meeting, the White House said.