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G-20 SummitRussia under pressure – is Xi Jinping turning away from Vladimir Putin?
China’s most powerful ally sends clear signals to Russia at the G-20 summit. Kremlin chief Putin can no longer rely on unrestricted support from Beijing.
At the summit, China and India refrained from blocking a joint final declaration.
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So far, Xi Jinping has given almost unreserved support to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
That’s what it’s about
The paper, which was almost completely negotiated on Tuesday, says: “Most members condemned the war in Ukraine in the strongest possible terms.”
China refrained from blocking a joint final statement.
So far, China’s head of state Xi Jinping has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin almost unreservedly.
Almost nine months after the start of its war against Ukraine, Russia is also coming under pressure in the G-20 round of leading economic powerhouses. At the summit on the Indonesian island of Bali, previous supporters such as China and India refrained from blocking a joint final declaration. The paper, which was almost completely negotiated on Tuesday, says: “Most members condemned the war in Ukraine in the strongest possible terms.”
Moscow also wants to support the declaration – because it expressly emphasizes that not all G-20 countries share the condemnation. The paper is to be adopted by the 20 delegations this Wednesday at the end of the summit.
So far, China’s head of state Xi Jinping has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin almost unreservedly. The Kremlin chief settled on the summit of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov represent. He remained in the room during a video message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
call for the end of the war
Specifically, the draft of the final declaration quotes from a UN resolution. This calls on Russia to cease hostilities and immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Russia’s position is primarily addressed with the sentence: “There were other views and different assessments of the situation.” Accordingly, Russia also accepts that the Russian attack is described as a war and not – as suggested by Putin – as a “military special operation”.
Lavrov confirmed that the work is practically complete. “Our Western colleagues have tried in every possible way to politicize this statement, and they have tried to sneak in language that would imply condemnation of the actions of the Russian Federation on behalf of the entire G20, including ourselves,” he said. The draft now contains both Western and Russian perspectives on the war in Ukraine.
The draft also states that, in the opinion of most G-20 members, the war will exacerbate the problems in the global economy and, for example, weaken growth and cause inflation to rise. It did not list who the majority of G-20 members are.
Strong words on nuclear threats
Russia also agrees that the final declaration states that not only the use of nuclear weapons, but also the threat to use them, is inadmissible. Most recently, the illegal annexation of four occupied Ukrainian territories had concerns for one Russian use of nuclear weapons stoked.
Xi Jinping called for unity in the G20 in the opening meeting. Confrontation should be replaced by cooperation. In view of the corona pandemic, for example, the global economy is becoming more vulnerable. The geopolitical environment remains tense. The crises of food and energy reinforced each other.
Xi had intensive discussions with US President Joe Biden for around three hours on Monday before the start of the G-20 summit in Bali. It was the first face-to-face meeting since Biden entered the White House about two years ago. Relations were recently described as icy. While Beijing is taking a hard line, it is still trying to improve relations with the US and the EU in order to advance its own development.
Are you or someone you know concerned about the war in Ukraine?
Here you can find help for yourself and others:
Questions and answers on the war in Ukraine (State Secretariat for Migration)
Outpatient clinic for victims of torture and war SRKTel. 058 400 47 77
fear of war?tips from Pro Juventute
Counseling service (German, Ukrainian, Russian) by Pro Juventute
Free advice for children and youth in Ukrainian
Offered HandWorry Hotline, Tel. 143
For Youthadvice for children and young people, Tel. 147
Registration and information for host families:
Swiss refugee aidTel. 058 105 05 55
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