G20 summit: pressure from France and Great Britain to resolve the war in Ukraine

On the paradise beaches of Bali, the world’s great leaders have only one goal at this G20 summit: stop the war in russia and Ukraine to save the economy, end the energy crisis and prevent a famine from spreading to the southern countries, at the rate of inflation and food shortages. Just as Russia began a brutal attack this Tuesday on several Ukrainian cities, including Kiev.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak they asked in their speeches. Macron will call Russian President Vladimir Putin in the next few hours, at the end of the summit, for talks, after the Russian will be officially absent “for scheduling reasons”, but above all for fear of being assassinated.

The French head of state has asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to call Putin a negotiations resume.

Without war the economy will be transformed

“End of war in Ukraine would be “transformer” for the world economy,” said British Prime Minister Sunak, in his first major international speech before G20 leaders.

Rishi Sunak acknowledged that Britain’s reputation “has taken a small blow” amid the leadership chaos in the kingdom in recent months.

On the day he came face to face with Russia for the first time, the British prime minister said he wanted to play a leading role in solving global problems keys as he softens his language on China.

Sunak against the Russian Foreign Minister

Sunak was seen frowning at Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the opening session of the G20 summit in Bali, where he sat directly opposite the Russian Foreign Minister.

The prime minister said that the G20 condemns Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

At the event, where he hopes to speak with Chinese President Xi, Sunak called China a “systemic challenge to our values”. But he stopped short of the harsher language preferred by his predecessor, Boris Johnson.

Sunak took advantage of the summit start for put pressure on Lavrov, replacing Putin at G20, saying global inflation and economic woes “have gotten much, much worse”by the actions of Russia”.

In his own speech, Lavrov sought to draw what Number 10 called “false parallels” between his actions and those of Britain. At one point he asked how Sunak would react If Ireland forbade speaking English.

But with other world leaders also condemning Lavrov at the summit, Sunak said there was still “a huge amount of goodwill” towards Britain for its role in supporting Ukraine and elsewhere.

The image of Great Britain

Sunak is believed to have been appalled by the damage done to Britain’s global image after the collapse of Boris Johnson’s government, a violent leadership election and the disastrous interlude of Liz Truss.

Asked whether the UK has been tarnished as a result, Sunak told the BBC: ‘Obviously our international reputation suffered a small blow as a result of some of the things that happened more recently.”

He added: “But what I’ve seen here, at the G20 summit in Indonesia, is a huge amount of goodwill for the UK to be an active and committed member of the international community”.

Sunak insisted there was “wide support for what we have done in Ukraine”, singling out Johnson for his “incredible leadership, which I plan to continue”.

Expressing his desire to play a more constructive role in world affairs, Sunak said, “In all areas, whether it is the COP and climate change, or even how to fix the global economy, addressing aggression in all the parties, support vulnerable countries with food.”

“These are all issues where we can play a role and people expect us to do so,” insisted the prime minister.

Macron will talk to Putin

President Macron is expected to phone President Putin shortly, in an attempt to promote a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian war.

The French leader, widely criticized for his mediation efforts with Moscow during the clashes, is determined to keep his personal channel open with the Russian president. He will speak to him at the end of the G20 summit, his advisers have said.

“Diplomacy is about talking to people you disagree with,” said a Macron aide.

“The president’s call would be an attempt to limit the isolation Putin has imposed on himself with his decision to stay away from the top,” the adviser said.

Macron said on Monday that he “feels very helpful” in his role as broker of diplomatic solutions.

Back to the negotiating table

Meeting with President Xi on Tuesday, Macron urged the Chinese leader to “pass messages to President Putin to avoid an escalation and get back to the negotiating table in earnest,” his staff said, after the hour-long talks.

Macron received criticism from Eastern Europe and by Ukraine’s toughest supporters for its efforts to maintain dialogue with Putin and its insistence on the West he must not “humiliate” the Russian leader.

Although he supports President Zelensky and sends a moderate amount of French weapons to Ukraine, Macron has consistently backed him Moscow’s concerns must be included in a future “new architecture security” for Europe.

Frequent phone calls from Putin and Macron boiled down to one every two months after the first weeks of the invasion of Russia. Putin criticized Macron last month for allowing one of his February phone sessionsand broadcast in a documentary of French television, in the summer.

“When these telephone conversations take place, especially through secure channels, we operate with the understanding that they are confidential and will not be used for advertising purposes,” Putin said at the Valdai conference in Russia. “If it’s done on one side, it’s indecent, of course.”

Macron’s request to Xi

“The President of the Republic is asking China to help send messages to President Putin to avoid an escalation and seriously return to the negotiating table,” said the French presidency.

It is necessary “to join forces to respond to both major international challenges. I mentioned the climate issue to name just one and undoubtedly the most significant, such as international crises such as the war initiated by Russia in Ukraine for which the G20 is an adequate format”, Emmanuel Macron launched at the beginning of a bilateral meeting meeting, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali.

Xi Jinping, for his part, “supported European mediation efforts“, especially by the French president. “He reiterated his very firmlyor opposition to the use of atomic weaponsby the Russians in Ukraine, according to the Elysee. The meeting between the two leaders, which took place in the hotel of the Chinese delegation, lasted just over 40 minutes.

“It also reaffirmed its support for de-escalation, a ceasefire and the will to end this conflict,” added the French presidency. According to Paris, “the lines start moving” on the Chinese side. Beijing “is trying to find a balance” in the conflict in Ukraine.

“Xi Jinping has made it clear that this complex situation needs to be addressed urgently,” an adviser to the French president said.

The two presidents also expressed a desire to “move forward” on several bilateral issues, from agribusiness to aeronautics, he said.

Paris, correspondent