Does Russia agree to its own condemnation? That is the question that was central before the start of the G20 summit. In particular, can the G20 agree on a final statement condemning the Russian war and the threats of nuclear bomb attacks by Vladimir Putin (70)?
Russia is part of the G20, but Putin himself was absent. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (72) took his place. But at home he has little influence and he does not belong to Putin’s inner circle. That is why the podium belongs entirely to the world powers USA and China, writes Der Spiegel.
EU Council President Charles Michel (46) announced on Tuesday morning that the chief negotiators of the European Union and the 19 leading economic powers have reached an agreement on a draft joint final statement. The agreement is a success in itself and the summit is one of the most difficult in the history of the G20, Michel said.
“Highly condemn the war”
According to information from the DPA news agency, despite initial resistance from Moscow, the EU and western states have been able to strongly condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine. The draft quotes from a United Nations resolution calling on Russia to cease hostilities and immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine. “Most members have condemned the war in Ukraine in the strongest possible terms,” the dpa said.
The statement also says most G20 members believe the war is exacerbating problems in the global economy, weakening growth and raising inflation. Russia’s position is expressed mainly in one sentence: “There were different views and different assessments of the situation.”
Western industrialized countries could also be successful in the field of nuclear weapons. According to diplomats, Russia agrees that not only the use of nuclear weapons, but also the threat of them is considered inadmissible.
Moscow can no longer count on support from China
There were already indications in advance that Russia could sign the final declaration. According to Der Spiegel, this is a sign that Moscow’s allies are barely supporting the war and that Putin is becoming increasingly isolated. Apparently Moscow can no longer count on the full support of its powerful partner China when it comes to Ukraine
One possible explanation is that, because of its dependence on exports, China is very interested in positive global economic development and should have no interest in bad relations with the US and the EU that stand in the way of its own development.
However, it is currently unclear what the implications of the final statement will be for Russia.
The group of 20 accounts for nearly two-thirds of the world’s population, three-quarters of world trade and four-fifths of global economic power. In addition to economic and financial issues, the G20 deals with many other global issues.