G20 ministers-Russia’s Lavrov face-off likely on Ukraine war in Bali | 5 points

The closed-door foreign minister's meeting on Friday will be the first time Russia President Vladimir Putin's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov will come face-to-face with the most vocal opponents of the invasion of Ukraine in February.

Published on: Jul 8, 2022, 07:50:41 IST

By HT News Desk

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Top finance officials from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, India and other G20 nations will meet in Bali for a joint summit on Friday, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as top agenda. This is the first time since February 24 that all major players sit in the same room, host Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi informed.

A police officer patrols ahead of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting. (AFP)

The meeting is a prelude to the leaders' summit on the Indonesian resort island in November that aims to focus on the global recovery from the pandemic. However, attention has shifted to Moscow's “special military operation” in its neighbouring Ukraine after it disrupted the international economy, global food shortage fears and alleged Russian war crimes.

What to expect from the G20 meet:

1. The meet is expected to witness sharp exchanges over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impacts on food and energy security, climate change, endemic poverty and the lingering effects of coronavirus. The United States will push the world's top economies to pressure Russia via stricter and wide-ranging sanctions, news agency AFP reported.

2. The closed-door foreign minister's meeting on Friday will be the first time Russia President Vladimir Putin's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov will come face-to-face with the most vocal opponents of the invasion of Ukraine in February, news agency Reuters reported.

3. China- facing heat from the West - will be represented by its foreign minister Wang Yi. Russia and China will face off against the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his French, German and British counterparts. The US and China are at severe and worsening odds over numerous issues ranging from tariffs and trade and human rights to Taiwan and disputes in the South China Sea.

4. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many G20 countries had urged Indonesia to not invite President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit, US-based ABC News reported. US President Joe Biden has said on multiple occasions that Russia should not remain a member of the G20 anymore.

5. Host Indonesia has resisted pressure to uninvite Russia, inviting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymytro Kuleba virtually as a compromise.

(With inputs from AP, AFP, Reuters)

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