G-20 Latest: Most Leaders Decry War In Ukraine In Blow To Putin
The Russian president is almost alone in the world with his policy and has no strong alliance partner, German Chancellor Scholz.
(Bloomberg) -- A majority of Group of 20 nations condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine after a summit that showed President Vladimir Putin’s government becoming more isolated on the world stage.
US President Joe Biden leveled more criticism on Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling the missile attacks “merciless” and “way over the top” hours after a Russian-produced rocket struck near Poland’s borders.
Key Takeaways From G-20 Summit Featuring Biden, Xi and No Putin
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cautioned against allegations the missiles that fell in Poland had originated from Russia despite Moscow’s denials, telling the G-20 summit that it was an act of “provocation.”
Biden and US allies met at the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia and pledged to support Poland’s investigation into the incident.
Key Developments
- Panic Eases Over Poland Strike as Allies Query Rocket’s Origin
- Biden’s Beach Trip Turns Triumph on Election, Xi Breakthrough
- Most G-20 Leaders Condemn War in Ukraine in Blow to Russia
- NATO States Race to Contain Fallout After Rocket Hits Poland
- Maskless Xi Mingles With World Leaders Outside Covid Zero China
(All times local)
Putin More Isolated After G-20 Statement, Scholz Says (5:11 p.m.)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the “astonishingly clear words” G-20 leaders agreed on in their joint statement Wednesday shows that Vladimir Putin is increasingly isolated over the war.
“The Russian president is almost alone in the world with his policy and has no strong alliance partner,” Scholz told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting in Bali.
Disagreements Over G-20 Statement Went Past Midnight, Jokowi Says (5:09 p.m.)
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo skirted around the question of whether all G-20 members, especially Russia, agreed to the communique that condemned the war in Ukraine.
Disagreements lasted through midnight over just one paragraph describing the war, until the group finally reached consensus, said the president. “And Russian representative was present during the summit at that time. Even if it was difficult, it has been formalized,” he added.
India Says Played Key Role in Drafting Communique (3:17 p.m.)
“India played a key role in the successful negotiation of the outcome document,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters in Bali. Modi’s message that “this is not an era of war” and diplomacy is the only way forward “resonated very deeply” with member nations.
Kwatra also repeated New Delhi’s oft-stated position that it has again urged Moscow to resolve its conflict with Ukraine through diplomacy in the wake of massive missile strikes on Ukrainian territory that Moscow launched as G-20 leaders met in Bali.
India will assume the G-20 presidency from Dec. 1.
India Plans Unity Theme for G-20 as Modi Balances Global Powers
Most G-20 Leaders Condemn War in Ukraine in Blow to Russia (2:36 p.m.)
A majority of Group of 20 nations condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a joint declaration issued Wednesday after a summit.
The final statement kept the draft language earlier reported by Bloomberg News, which referred to the “war in Ukraine” but not “Russia’s war in Ukraine” in a bid to get as many G-20 leaders to sign off as possible.
UK PM Won’t Hold Meeting With Chinese President Xi (2:28 p.m.)
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will no longer hold a meeting with President Xi Jinping of China after the timetable of the G-20 moved around, his spokesman Max Blain told reporters in Bali. “Given events overnight it’s certainly understandable,” Blain said.
Erdogan Says Alleging Missiles Came From Russia is Provocative (1:58 p.m.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said alleging the missiles that fell in Poland had originated in Russia despite Moscow’s denial is an act of “provocation” that is not right and should be avoided.
“I respect the statement made by Russia,” Erdogan said at G-20. “Russia’s saying that ‘we have nothing to do with this’ is important for us.”
He added that as soon as he gets back, he will get on the phone with Putin for a dialog.
Erdogan Says Black Sea Grain Deal Will Continue (1:38 p.m.)
Erdogan said it looks like the Black Sea initiative will continue, burnishing his credentials as a broker between major powers. He said Turkey helped to facilitate a total of 11 million tones of grains to enter the world market.
The Turkish leader said Biden mentioned positive developments on the F-16 warplanes, adding that there was no need to get into the details when he was pressed on the matter.
Turkey’s Erdogan Finds Himself a Surprise G-20 Power Broker
Indonesia Starts G-20 Session by Calling for a Stop to the War (1:28 p.m.)
President Joko Widodo began the third G-20 session by repeating his opening message to the stop the war or else the global economic recovery won’t happen. He didn’t directly refer to Russia.
“A lot is at stake,” said Jokowi, as the president in popularly known. “The global economic recovery will not happen unless the situation improves. As leaders, we all have the responsibility to ensure a conducive global situation for the future of the world.”
Russian Involvement Won’t Trigger Article 5, France Says (12:57 p.m.)
Even if it was proved that Russia was behind the strike, NATO’s Article 5 wouldn’t get automatically triggered, a senior French official said, adding that no one wants an escalation with Moscow that could prove to be highly dangerous.
What happened in Poland has yet to be clarified and identifying a missile doesn’t prove who fired it as many countries use the same weapons, the official said.
Biden, Sunak Hold Meeting, Condemn Russia Missile Strikes (12:46 p.m.)
President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met in an open-air room in a luxury resort hotel, surrounded by a carp pond and tropical plants, shielded from the midday sun by a thatched roof.
Biden said Putin’s attack on Ukraine is “merciless” and “way over the top.” Sunak agreed and described the US as the UK’s “closest ally.” Both leaders declined questions about the missile strike in Poland.
Germany Condemns Russia’s Missile Strikes in ‘Unjustified War’ (12:14 p.m.)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Russia’s missile strikes are not an “acceptable form of warfare in this already unjustified war”
“And it is happening while we all here at the G-20 have expressed that this war should end and that Russia should withdraw its troops and stop its brutal attacks,” he told reporters in Bali.
G-20 Leaders Resume Mangrove Tour After Poland Meeting (11:10 a.m.)
Indonesia President Joko Widodo took the G-20 leaders on a tour of a mangrove forest in Bali after waiting for many of them to finish up a meeting on the rocket strike near Poland’s border with Ukraine.
The world leaders, which included Biden, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, were given t-shirts and baseball caps to wear during the tour.
Russia Foreign Minister Left Bali After Gala Dinner (11:02 a.m.)
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov left Bali on Tuesday evening after he attended a dinner together with heads of other G-20 delegations. On the second day of the summit, Russia is expected to be represented by Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
Lavrov has earlier said that Russia supports the draft communique prepared by G-20 sherpas. He talked before the reports emerged of missiles hitting near Poland’s border with Ukraine and hasn’t given any comments since than.
PBOC’s Yi Says Talks With Yellen Were ‘Candid’ (10:48 a.m.)
People’s Bank of China Governor Yi Gang said the meeting with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was “candid and very constructive,” without elaborating further.
Yi told Bloomberg News that the two had a broad, in-depth conversation, after finishing up a meeting with Yellen
US, Major Allies Support Poland’s Investigation (10:01 a.m.)
Biden said leaders have agreed to support Poland’s investigation into a rocket blast and pledged to collectively determine the next step.
Asked if the rocket had been fired from Russia, Biden told reporters in Bali that “there is preliminary information that contests that.” Given the trajectory of the rocket it was unlikely it was fired from Russia, he added, “but we’ll see.”
He added it was “totally unconscionable” what Russia was doing and reiterated support for Ukraine.
G-20 Summit Events in Disarray as Meeting on Poland Goes On (9:20 a.m.)
The G-20 leaders’ scheduled visit to a mangrove forest in Bali saw Indonesia President Joko Widodo turn up while many heads of state attended a meeting called by Biden to discuss the situation in Poland.
Widodo said he hadn’t spoken to the other leaders this morning.
Biden Convenes a Meeting of Leaders on Events in Poland (8:56 a.m.)
Biden has started a meeting of leaders on the events unfolding in eastern Poland. Among those in attendance are leaders from Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, UK, the European Commission and European Council.
The US President declined to answer reporters’ questions on what has happened as he headed into the meeting.
Italy Confirms Meeting with NATO, EU Allies on Next Steps (8:30 a.m.)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she will be meeting in Indonesia with allies from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Union to discuss what happened and look at the next steps.
The events further confirm the severity of the Russian attack against Ukraine, she said in a statement.
European Council President to Call Coordination Meeting on Poland at G-20 (8:20 a.m.)
European Council President Charles Michel said he would call a coordination meeting on Wednesday of European Union leaders attending the G-20 summit in Bali. He tweeted that he spoke with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and “assured him of full EU unity and solidarity in support of Poland.”
UK’s Sunak Speaks With Polish President (7:24 a.m.)
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke today with Polish President Andrzej Duda and reiterated the UK’s solidarity with the European nation, according to a statement from his office.
“The leaders agreed to remain in close contact and continue coordinating with our international partners, including NATO Allies, on the next steps,” Rishi’s office said in an email.
Biden Offers Full US Support for Poland (6:54 a.m.)
US President Joe Biden spoke by phone with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, offering full U.S. support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation and reaffirming America’s commitment to NATO, according to a White House statement. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Polish counterpart as well.
European Council President Charles Michel said he would call a coordination meeting on Wednesday of European Union leaders attending the G-20 summit. He tweeted that he spoke with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and “assured him of full EU unity and solidarity in support of Poland.”
Poland Mulls NATO Talks After Explosion (5:36 a.m.)
Poland is considering whether to formally ask the NATO military alliance for consultations after a deadly explosion near the Ukraine border.
Poland may invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty, National Security Bureau Chief Jacek Siewiera told reporters late on Tuesday after an emergency government meeting. The protocol allows any NATO member nation to request consultations if it believes that its territorial integrity, political independence or security is at risk.
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