AFP – General G20 calls for an end to war and strongly criticizes Russia 16/11/2022 10:01

The G20 summit ended this Wednesday (16) on the Indonesian island of Bali with a majority condemnation of Russia and renewed calls for an end to the war in Ukraine, with dire consequences for the planet.

The meeting of the leaders of the world’s major economies was shaken by Russia’s massive bombings of Ukraine on Tuesday and the dropping of a missile on Poland, raising fears about an escalation of the conflict.

However, events did not prevent the publication of a joint statement at the end of the meeting, which condemned most countries to the war in Ukraine and emphasized the serious impact of the war on the world economy.

The host nation’s president, Joko Widodo, acknowledged that there were “very difficult discussions” to arrive at a unanimous text, saying “This is the first joint declaration since February 2022.”

The G20’s final statement acknowledges “other views”, but says that “most members strongly condemn the war in Ukraine and emphasize that it has caused great human suffering.”

He also points out that the conflict is “further adversely affecting the global economy” and considers the use or threat of nuclear weapons to be “unacceptable”, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has implicitly done before. path.

Given the current geopolitical tensions and the lack of agreement at all preparatory meetings, few expected the ratification of a joint declaration that required unanimous consent. Even less so is a condemnation if not unanimous, or a citation of the concept of “war in Ukraine”, which was vetoed in Russia.

Putin’s reluctance

On Tuesday, Russia’s bombing of Ukraine and the dropping of missiles on Poland, a member of the European Union and NATO, changed the debates and multilateral meetings.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia in his second video conference speech at the meeting, saying the move was a “message” from Moscow to the G20.

But hours later, Polish President Andrzej Duda said it was “most likely” that the missile that fell on his country belonged to the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense.

The US delegation held an emergency meeting in which the G7 and NATO allies called for an investigation of what happened in Poland and condemned Russia’s “barbaric” bombing of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

“Tonight’s events are clear proof, further proof, of Putin’s reluctance to end the war,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said.

food insecurity

Before the summit on the Indonesian island, there was a lengthy meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where both sought to set limits on the growing rivalry between the two powers and found a common theme in the war in Ukraine.

While China, like India, has refrained from condemning the war and directly criticizing its Moscow ally, the country has called on the two sides to negotiate, denounced the threat of using nuclear weapons, and criticized its military use of food and energy.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who the summit gave a “very clear message” to Russia, commented that “China can play a greater mediating role with us in the coming months”.

Amid military setbacks and growing international isolation in Ukraine, Putin skipped the Bali trip and instead sent Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov, who accused Kiev of offering “unrealistic” conditions for negotiations.

Food and energy security was one of the main concerns at the meeting, which was attended by some countries most affected by price increases, such as Turkey and Argentina.

In a final statement, the member states demanded the extension of the agreement between Kyiv and Moscow for the export of Ukrainian grains via the Black Sea, which expires on Saturday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of the negotiators of the agreement, said he was convinced the agreement would remain in effect.