NUSA DUA, Indonesia, July 8 (Reuters) – G20 foreign ministers are heading to a joint summit on Friday that will put some of the strongest critics of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the same room as the top diplomat. Moscow, at the first such meeting since the war began in February.
The accumulation of the meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali has been dominated by the war and its impact on the global economy, with senior officials from Europe, the United States and Australia stressing that there will be no “business as always “in the forum. without saying what it may entail.
The invasion of Russia has thrown a cloud over Indonesia’s presidency of the Group of 20 largest economies this year, with speculation of boycotts by some members and a march in April at a meeting of finance ministers in Washington.
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Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Thursday afternoon that it was important for the host to “create a comfortable environment for all” and that the G20 was an opportunity for progress.
“This is the first time, since February 24, that all major actors are sitting in the same room,” he said, referring to when the Russian invasion began.
A senior U.S. State Department official said Thursday that it was important to avoid “disruptions or disruptions” to the G20 agenda, while assuring that nothing would happen that could legitimize Ukraine’s “brutalization” by Russia. Read more
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Thursday described Russia’s actions as “illegal, unfair and immoral”, a position it would make clear at the forum.
Japan would also raise its concerns about the war, said a Japanese government official, who added that he was talking to like-minded countries, but that no decision had been made on a march on Russia.
The invasion of Russia, which he calls a “special military operation,” has caused a major disruption to the world economy, with a blockade on Ukrainian grain and sanctions on Russian oil and gas causing a food crisis and a global increase in inflation.
Friday’s agenda includes a closed-door meeting with top diplomats from G20 countries such as China, India, the United States, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Japan, South Africa, as well as bilateral talks on the sidelines. It is expected that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine will address the meeting virtually.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Bali on Thursday, during which he praised Beijing but attacked an “openly aggressive” West.
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Report by Stanley Widianto; Written by Kate Lamb; Edited by Martin Petty
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