G20 leader Indonesia says “many” nations have condemned Russia at the talks

Many nations in the Group of 20 major economies condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urged it to end the war during ministerial talks in Indonesia, the host said in its final statement early Sunday.

A two-day meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors on the resort island of Bali ended without a joint communiqué over disagreements with Russia over the war.

But Western nations pressed Russia over the military onslaught, accusing Moscow of sending a shockwave through the world economy and its technocrats of complicity in alleged war crimes committed during the invasion.

“Many members agreed that the global economic recovery has slowed and is facing a major setback due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has been strongly condemned and calls for an end to the war,” Indonesia said in the statement.

Jakarta, which has aligned its neutral foreign policy stance with the stance of November’s G20 summit, replaced a joint communique with a 14-paragraph statement by the Chair, which did not fall under the forum’s banner, and two paragraphs on the disagreements of the contained members.

“One member expressed the view that the sanctions add to existing challenges,” it said, in an apparent reference to Russia, which denies blame for the current global economic headwind.

There was also no G20-wide consensus on the global food crisis, exacerbated by the Russian invasion, which threatens to put millions in developing countries at risk of starvation.

“The majority of members agreed that there is an alarming rise in food and energy insecurity,” Indonesia said.

“Many members are ready to take collective action immediately.”

The failure to reach a joint communiqué came a week after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of the G20 talks in Bali over criticism of Moscow.

Russia only sent a deputy minister to the financial talks, which its finance minister attended virtually.

Elsewhere, all members reaffirmed their commitment to implementing international changes in tax rules due to come into force in 2024, coordinating action to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and tackling rising inflation and climate change.

The next meeting of G20 finance ministers will take place in Washington in October.