Politicians demanded to unblock Ukrainian grain
While Lavrov drank coffee, Blinken talked with a colleague from China for five hours / Photo by Reuters / Collage “Today”
The preparatory stage for the summit of G20 leaders on November 15-16 – a meeting of the heads of foreign affairs departments of the G20 countries – did not give grounds to talk about the rapprochement of Western countries with Eastern ones. The ministers were unable to agree on a joint resolution condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, although there was consensus on the demand to unfreeze Ukrainian grain. For the first time since the collapse of the USSR, a high-ranking representative of Russia experienced a “cold shower” instead of his usual warm welcome with a friendly pat on the shoulder.
The site “Segodnya” figured out how the meeting of the foreign ministers of the G20 countries ended.
The war in Ukraine and its global consequences dominated Bali, recognized the host of the meeting, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
“In almost all of the 23 bilateral meetings that I held, we basically talked about this,” the minister told reporters.
A question of grain
As Reuters wrote, the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers showed a consensus on only one requirement for the Russian Federation – to lift the blockade of grain exports from Ukraine. The host of the meeting, Retno Marsudi, concluded that the consequences of the war would hit poor countries the hardest, and that getting Ukrainian and Russian grain and fertilizer back into supply chains was critical.
“We have an obligation to resolve our differences at the negotiating table, not on the battlefield,” Marsudi urged.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken directly demanded that Russia stop blackmailing the world with food.
“Ukraine is not your country. Its grain is not your grain. Why are you blocking the ports? You must release the grain,” Blinken demanded from Moscow.
Judging by Lavrov’s answer, they are not going to lift the blockade.
“If the West does not want negotiations, but wants Ukraine to defeat Russia on the battlefield – because both points of view were expressed – then perhaps there is nothing to talk about with the West.“, – such was the reaction of the representative of the Kremlin.
Question of war
It was not possible to achieve a consolidated condemnation of Russia by the G20 for an armed attack on a neighboring country. Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine was unequivocally condemned only by the Western-oriented countries of the G7. India, China and other states of the global South refrain from criticizing Russia. At the same time, as Western experts note, the developing countries of the G20 – Argentina, Brazil, India and Indonesia – may face serious problems due to the war in Ukraine.
Blinken believes that Russia did not hear their demands.
“We have not seen any signs that Russia is ready for serious diplomacy. If there is an opportunity for diplomacy, we will take it,” Blinken said after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Saturday, AFP reported.
It is noted that Blinken’s negotiations with Wang Yi lasted an unusually long time – five hours. During the talks, the American side tried to get Beijing to condemn the aggression against Ukraine and distance itself from the Kremlin.
Reuters photo
Prior to that, Wang Yi had brief talks with Lavrov, during which the Chinese side called for focusing on solving the Ukrainian problem through negotiations. But there was no condemnation of the Kremlin.
“Under the strategic leadership of the two heads of state, our countries resist outside interference, maintain normal exchanges and develop cooperation in various fields in an orderly manner, demonstrating the stability and strategic strength of relations between the two countries.“, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement released after the ministerial meeting.
Isolation Lavrov
Despite the almost neutral position of the eastern countries, in Bali, Russia was nevertheless given to understand that it had become a pariah country.
Lavrov had to leave the morning meeting when his German colleague Annalena Burbock, who recently visited Irpin and Bucha, where she saw with her own eyes the results of the “Russian world”, criticized Moscow’s actions. Lavrov then hurried to the exit during the afternoon session, where Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba spoke via video link. Lavrov was also absent from the room during the speech by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who addressed the Russian delegation directly with harsh accusations. Instead, Lavrov staged a speech on the street outside the Mulia Hotel, where the G20 meetings were held, and talked to his heart’s content about Russia’s involvement in “the liberation of ethnic Russians in Ukraine and the denazification of Ukraine.”
Reuters photo
“The fact that the Russian Foreign Minister spent most of the talks not in the hall, but outside it, emphasizes that there is not an ounce of desire on the part of the Russian government to talk“, Burbock summed up the behavior of her Russian colleague.
Reuters photo
When Russian officials were about to speak at some panel, delegations from the United States, Canada, Great Britain and the EU countries defiantly walked out. Representatives of the leading countries of the world refused to be photographed with Lavrov in a joint protocol photo. As a result, this photo simply does not exist.
Not a single bilateral meeting between Lavrov and representatives of the G7 countries took place, which has always been an important part of the meetings within the G20. With an offended look, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that “he will not run after anyone” for the sake of these meetings.
And even journalists did not let Lavrov relax. During a photo shoot with the host of the event, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, media representatives loudly asked from the audience when Russia would stop the war and why the Kremlin was not doing it.
“There was a strong consensus and Russia remained isolated, as it has been many times since the beginning of this war.“, Blinken summed up after the G20 summit.
True, Lavrov has a different opinion.
EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said that Lavrov does not listen to his colleagues. “This is not the most constructive way to attend the G20 meeting.“, he told AFP.
Final Document
In general, no revolutionary decisions were made at the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers in Bali. The final declaration, as is usually the case after ministerial meetings of the 20 most important industrialized and developing countries of the world, was not published.
“Differences between Western countries and the increasingly united Sino-Russian front have highlighted sharp divisions and undermined effective diplomacy when it comes to issues related to the war in Ukraine. Western officials appeared to be focusing on addressing the food and energy shortages that have become a global problem since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and have said they will work to forge bloc agreements to counter rising global crises.“, – stated in the final material of the American television channel Fox News.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (right) greets Senegalese Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Salla / Photo by Reuters
“Honestly, we can’t deny that it’s become harder for the world to sit together. The world is watching us so we can’t fail,” said Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi.
Perhaps she hopes that before the November summit, the situation with Russia will change and the meeting of the heads of the G20 will be more constructive. If Moscow does not withdraw its troops from Ukraine, experts expect that Putin will receive exactly the same reception on November 15-16 in Bali as Lavrov received.
“Whether the American president or other G7 representatives want to meet in the same room with Vladimir Putin, who is accused of war crimes, is something G20 diplomats will have to negotiate over the next few months.“, – summarizes in the final material DW.
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Source: Segodnya
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