G20 summit deplores Ukraine war
Ambassadors from members of the Nato held talks in Brussels after Poland put its military on high alert in the wake of a blast in the country on the border with Ukraine
NUSA DUA/PRZEWODOW: Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) nations deplored Russia’s aggression in Ukraine “in the strongest terms” on Wednesday and demanded its unconditional withdrawal in a declaration adopted at the end of a twoday summit.
“Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine,” the declaration said, signalling that Russia, which is a member of G20, opposed the wording. The positions taken by China and India, which abstained from a similar UN resolution in March, were not immediately clear.
However, at least three diplomats said the statement, which recognised that “there were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions”, was unanimously adopted.
“The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” the declaration also said.
“It is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability. This includes defending all the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and adhering to international humanitarian law.”
Earlier, the day’s schedule at the summit on the Indonesian island of Bali was disrupted by an emergency meeting to discuss reports of a missile landing in Polish territory near Ukraine on Tuesday, killing two people.
Russia accuses Ukraine of Poland missile blast
Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of a deadly blast in Poland, with Belgium saying it was probably caused by Kyiv’s air defences firing at Moscow’s incoming missiles.
The explosion in a farm building on Tuesday killed two people, leaving the village of Przewodow in shock and sparking international concern over a possible further escalation of the conflict. Ambassadors from members of the Nato military alliance went into emergency talks in Brussels after Poland put its military on high alert in the wake of the blast and summoned Russia’s ambassador.
“Based on the preliminary information available, the strikes are most likely a result of Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems that were engaged to take Russian missiles out of the sky,” Belgian defence minister Ludivine Dedonder said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden had said it was “unlikely” the missile came from Russia, and the Kremlin said it had “nothing to do with” it.
“Photographs of the wreckage... were unequivocally identified by Russian military experts as fragments of a guided antiaircraft missile of a Ukrainian S-300 air defence system,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
It added that “strikes were carried out on targets only on the territory of Ukraine and at a distance of no closer than 35 kilometres from the UkrainianPolish border.”
But Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier rejected as a “conspiracy theory” the idea that it may have been a Ukrainian missile.
In Indonesia’s Bali, Western leaders cautioned against jumping to any conclusions.
China said “all relevant parties should stay calm and exercise restraint to avoid escalation”, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a “careful investigation” and warned against “hasty” judgements.
According to a copy of his speech seen by AFP, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missile incident was “a true statement brought by Russia for the G20 summit”.
Polish deputy foreign minister Pawel Jablonski also called for caution but told RMF radio that “in all likelihood, we are dealing with a consequence of Russia’s actions”.
He also responded to criticism of Poland’s defences.
“Missile defence systems around the world are never one hundred percent effective systems that protect each millimetre of every country’s territory.”
Poland on Tuesday held an emergency national security council meeting and summoned Moscow’s ambassador over the incident to provide “immediate detailed explanations”.
Missile incident a ‘significant escalation’
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called the missile incident “a very significant escalation” while Russia’s defence ministry dismissed reports that it was to blame as a “provocation” intended to raise tensions.
“The incident with the Ukrainian-alleged ‘missile strike’ on a Polish farm proves just one thing: waging a hybrid war against Russia, the West moves closer to the world war,” Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s security council, said on Twitter.
The explosion came after Russian missiles hit cities across Ukraine on Tuesday, including Lviv, near the border with Poland. Zelensky said the strikes cut power to some 10 million people, though it was later restored to eight million of them, and also triggered automatic shutdowns at two nuclear power plants.