G20 leaders end summit with condemnation of Ukraine war but divisions persist

From left, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, (2nd row L-R) European Council President Charles Michel, World Bank Group (WBG) President David Malpass, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other leaders attend a mangrove planting event at the Tahura Ngurah Rai Mangrove Forest Park as part of the G20 Leaders’ Summit at Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday Nov. 16, 2022. (Mast Irham/Pool Photo via AP)

Leaders of the G20 leading economies have ended their summit in Indonesia by declaring that most of them strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and warning that the conflict is intensifying fragilities in the world’s economy.

The closing declaration was noteworthy in highlighting the war, given the divisions among the group, which includes not only Russia but also countries such as China and India, which have significant trade ties with Moscow and have stopped short of outright criticism of the war.