G20 grapple with conflict, economic recovery
BALI - The 17th Group of 20 (G20) Summit on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to cooperation to address global economic challenges.
In a declaration adopted at the end of the two-day summit, the G20 leaders said cooperation is necessary for global economic recovery, tackling global challenges and laying the foundation for strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth.
The bloc said they were committed to supporting developing countries, particularly the least developed and small island developing states, in responding to global challenges and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The leaders said they would coordinate to achieve a robust, inclusive and resilient global recovery and sustainable development that delivers jobs and growth.
The closing statement of the summit also strongly condemned the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stressing that it has harmed the global economy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told G20 leaders Wednesday there was a "terrorist state" among them, accusing Russia of a missile strike on Poland that killed two people.
Speaking by video link, Zelensky called the strike "a true statement brought by Russia for the G20 summit", according to a copy of his speech seen by AFP.
Poland has said there is no clear evidence on who launched the missile, and US President Joe Biden said it was "unlikely" it had been fired from Russia, which has denied involvement.
Zelensky however has been quick to point the finger at Russia, which launched a wave of attacks across Ukraine on Tuesday, leaving millions of households without power.
He addressed the G20 summit for the second time on Wednesday, but several leaders had already departed the Indonesian island of Bali, which is hosting the gathering.
Among them was Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who flew out on Tuesday evening.
Zelensky, who spoke by video link to leaders on Tuesday to urge an end to the conflict, called for a "quick reaction" to the strike in Poland.
But his allies have moved cautiously, with US president Joe Biden saying any response would come only after an investigation.
"We're going to make sure we figure out exactly what happened... and then we're going to collectively determine our next step," he said after meeting with G7 and other allies on the sidelines of the summit.
He also said "preliminary information" suggested the missile had not been launched from Russia.
"It's unlikely... that it was fired from Russia," he said. "But we'll see."
Before leaving the summit Lavrov described the draft declaration as having been "politicised" by Ukraine's Western allies.
G20 members have been grappling with a raft of issues from raging inflation, food insecurity and hunger to the consequences of climate change and fears of nuclear escalation in Ukraine.
The jury is out on whether anything has been achieved. There is agreement that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has rattled the global economy and much of the world will be reeling from its effects for some time.