Ukraine war: G20 adopts declaration condemning Russia’s invasion

Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) nations have adopted a declaration condemning Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and demand its unconditional withdrawal.

“Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine,” the declaration adopted at the end of a two-day summit stated.

“The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.

 “It is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability. This includes defending all the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and adhering to international humanitarian law,” the declaration also said.

The positions taken by China and India, which abstained from a similar U.N. resolution in March, were not immediately clear.

However, at least three diplomats said the statement, which recognized that “there were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions”, was unanimously adopted.

The Western-led push to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated the summit.

Also Read: G20 Considers Resolution Condemning Russian Invasion

Russia, whose forces pounded cities and energy facilities across Ukraine on Tuesday as the G20 met, has said the “politicization” of the summit was unfair.

“Yes, there is a war going on in Ukraine, a hybrid war that the West has unleashed and been preparing for years,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, repeating Putin’s line that NATO’s expansion had threatened Russia.

Lavrov was representing Putin at the summit but left on Tuesday evening. Russia was later represented by Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.

Many participants said President Vladimir Putin’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine had pummelled the global economy and revived Cold War-era geopolitical divisions just as the world was emerging from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the summit sidelines, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said several major economies faced a real risk of sliding into recession as the war in Ukraine, rising food and fuel costs, and soaring inflation cloud the global outlook.

Zainab Sa’id