G20 diplomats fight for unity in Ukraine, impact of war

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) – Deeply divided top diplomats from the world’s richest and largest developing countries struggled to find common ground Friday over Russia’s war in Ukraine and how to deal with its global implications.

In talks upset by two disconnected and unexpected political developments far from the Indonesian resort of Bali where they were meeting, G-20 foreign ministers heard an emotional plea for unity and an end to the war from their Indonesian host.

However, consensus still seemed elusive amid the deep divisions between East and West led by China and Russia on one side and the United States and Europe on the other. All the key players were there, the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are in the same room at the same time.

Lavrov withdrew from the session at least twice: once when his German counterpart Annalena Barbuk spoke at the opening session and again before Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke by video link at the second session, according to a Western diplomat who attended.

The meeting opened just hours after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation Thursday, prompting his Secretary of State Liz Truss to leave, and he was just underway when former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot..

Both Johnson and Abe are well known to the G20 family, having participated in many similar conferences and summits in the past. One of the goals of Friday’s meeting was to lay the groundwork for the upcoming G20 summit that Indonesia will host in November.

Many, if not all, of the participants expressed their shock at the shooting of Abby which took place during the first of two plenary sessions on the importance of restoring confidence in multilateralism and upholding the rules-based global order.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi urged the group – which included Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Blinken and several European counterparts – to overcome mistrust for a planet facing multiple challenges from the coronavirus to climate change as well as Ukraine.

“The world has not yet recovered from the epidemic, but we are already facing another crisis: the war in Ukraine,” Marsudi said. “The cascading effects are being felt globally on food, energy, and physical space.”

She noted that poor and developing countries are now facing the brunt of the fuel and grain shortages caused by the war in Ukraine He said the G20 had a responsibility to step up the issue to ensure that the rules-based global order remained relevant.

The Ukraine war has shaken this up, she said, as Lavrov appeared to shuffle the cards expressionlessly in his seat between the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Mexico.

“Honestly, we can’t deny that it has become difficult for the world to sit together,” Marsudi said. “The world is watching us, so we can’t fail,” she added wistfully.

In fact, despite sitting around the same large conference table at the opening, neither Lavrov nor Blinkin showed any interest in each other and the two had no plans to meet.

“As you know, it was not we who gave up all contacts,” Lavrov told reporters after the first session. It was the United States. That’s all I can say. And we don’t run after anyone who proposes meetings. If they don’t want to talk, that’s their choice.”

Shortly thereafter, Blinkin directly targeted the Russian delegation, accusing Moscow at the second G-20 session of halting millions of tons of grain in Ukrainian ports and causing food insecurity in large parts of the world, according to a Western diplomat present.

Lavrov was not present for comments, and his surrogate began Russia’s intervention by telling the group that it had not prepared the remarks, according to the diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the closed-door meeting.

In a separate meeting, Blinken praised Marsudi’s speech. “We are seeing the effects of COVID still lingering around the world and unfortunately we are also seeing the effects of Russian aggression on Ukraine making things more difficult than they already were,” he told her.

Despite Marsudi’s appeal, there was little prospect of achieving the kind of noble consensus on heavy issues that had been a hallmark of past gatherings.

US officials say they are determined not to allow distractions from what they believe should be the primary focus of the Bali conference: the disruption of global food and energy supplies due to the Russian war in Ukraine.blaming Moscow, and mobilizing a response to stop shortages that are already wreaking havoc In Africa, Asia and elsewhere.

However, with the East-West divided and North-South rifts emerging, the possibility of an agreement among the G-20 on a way forward seemed very slim. US officials have hinted that there will be no collective statement as in previous years on key issues such as terrorism, transnational crime, climate and economic issues.

US officials said the G-20 presenting a unified position as an entity is less important than smaller blocs of individual nations and states talking and taking action.

The competition for support between the parties was fierce. Both Wang and Lavrov stopped in various Asian capitals on their way to Bali, mobilizing support for various Chinese and Russian positions and strengthening relations between non-allied nations.

Meanwhile, Blinken, the French, the Germans and the British all arrived in Bali from two organized, west-oriented encounters in Europe last week: the Group of Seven. and NATO peaks There was little sign of hatred or controversy and unity over Ukraine was emphasized.

With its broader membership, including countries such as host Indonesia and large developing countries such as India, Brazil, South Africa and others, the G20 is much more diverse, suspicious of Western intentions, more open to the demands and offers of big neighbors such as China and Russia, and more vulnerable to their threats.

In an effort to pursue a middle path, this year’s G20 president, Indonesia, has attempted to bridge possible gaps, setting an agenda that is not divisive or political in nature. The country sought to remain neutral in dealing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and President Joko Widodo was under guard. in his comments.

But as is often the case, the final message is likely to be controlled by the biggest participants, and China, Russia and the United States are fighting for supremacy.