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.

It acknowledged “there were other views and different assessments” and said the G20 is “not the forum to resolve security issues”.

The conflict loomed large over the two-day summit held on the tropical island of Bali.

An emergency meeting was called early in the day in response to a Russian-made missile reportedly killing two people in Poland, although there are doubts about who fired it.

The meeting included the leaders of the G7 – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the EU – along with the president of the European Council and the prime ministers of Nato allies Spain and the Netherlands.

US President Joe Biden held a separate meeting later with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in their first extended conversation since Mr Sunak took office last month.

“We’re going to continue to support Ukraine as long as Russia continues their aggression,” Mr Biden said alongside Mr Sunak, adding that he was “glad we’re on the same page” in backing Ukraine.

Other leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the G20, but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend.

The careful wording of the final statement reflected tensions at the gathering and the challenge for the US and its allies to isolate Mr Putin’s government.

Several members, including host Indonesia, are wary of becoming entangled in disputes between bigger powers, but the declaration was a strong condemnation of the war that has killed thousands, heightened global security tensions and disrupted the world economy.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who led the Russian delegation in place of Mr Putin, denounced the Biden administration’s push to condemn Moscow in his remarks on Tuesday.

The G20 was founded in 1999 originally as a forum to address economic challenges.

It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the EU, while Spain has a permanent guest seat.