The meeting of G20 finance ministers, which took place in Bengaluru, India, ended without a joint statement yesterday after China attempted to remove references to the “war” in Ukraine from the text. Russia accused the West of “destabilizing” the activities of the group of the world’s 19 largest economies along with the European Union, arguing that it should remain an “economic forum” and stop “intruding into the atmosphere of security”.
Instead of the joint statement, India, which holds the presidency of the G20, issued a statement saying that “most members strongly condemn the war in Ukraine” and that there were “different assessments of the situation and sanctions”. A footnote noted that two paragraphs on the conflict, reportedly taken from the leaders’ statement at the Bali summit in November, “have been agreed by all member states except Russia and China”.
Bali’s statement, which said, among other things, that “the majority of members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine” had been universally approved, but the two countries now claim that circumstances are different. Other meetings of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors have failed to reach a joint statement since Russia invaded Ukraine in what Moscow calls a “special military operation”.
China published a document on Friday, the date of the first anniversary of the invasion, outlining its position for a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis. This was met with skepticism from the European Union and the US, with Washington warning that Beijing is considering sending weapons to Russia – despite its alleged position of neutrality. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz yesterday opined that the proposal “has light and shadow”, pointing out that he condemns the use of nuclear weapons but had no position on the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron called it “a good thing” that China wanted to be involved in the peace effort. And he announced that he will visit Beijing in early April, urging the Chinese to “put pressure” on Russia to end the war. Before Macron, another leader will visit China – Belarusian Alexander Lukashenko, one of Russian Vladimir Putin’s main allies – and is expected to arrive on Tuesday for a state visit.
sanctions
The European Union approved the 10th package of sanctions against Russia late Friday evening, affecting more than 121 individuals and entities. including Iranian drone makers and three more Russian banks. It further deepens a ban on the export of industrial goods to Russia. Brussels announced also yesterday more sanctions against the mercenaries of the Wagner Group. The group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said yesterday that his men had captured the village of Yahidne, on the outskirts of Bakhmut.
However, Polish oil company Orlen reported yesterday that it no longer receives Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, the main import route from Russia, following the suspension of sea imports last year. The company says it is “fully prepared” for the situation and that customer service remains guaranteed. Russian oil was only 10% of what it currently processed.
Source: DN
