G20: Leaders divided on their declaration of war in Ukraine and Russia

The leaders of its countries Group of Twenty (G20) said today that they “express their regret in the strongest terms” for her Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The statement, which was approved today, states that most members strongly condemn the war in Ukraine, but there were other views.

It is emphasized that international law must be respected and that the threat to use nuclear weapons is unacceptable, while the initiative to export grain through the Black Sea is welcomed.

The statement also states that member countries’ central banks will continue to appropriately scale the pace of monetary policy tightening.

The G20 members also reiterated their commitment to avoid excessive volatility in exchange rates while acknowledging that “many currencies have moved significantly” this year, as reported by Reuters and relayed by the Athens News Agency.

Biden, Sunak Condemn Russia’s ‘Barbaric’ Bombing of Civilians

Meanwhile, the US president Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today lambasted the Russian military’s “barbaric” bombing of civilians in Ukraine, amid further escalation after the blasts in Poland.

“As world leaders meet here in Bali to seek to move towards peace, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is hitting civilians, children, women, it’s (…) barbaric,” Mr Biden said at the launch of his meeting with the UK Prime Minister on the sidelines of the G20 summit on the Indonesian island.

Mr. Sunak said he “agrees” with this characterization, while referring to the “partnership” between London and Washington, stressing that “we oppose Russia’s barbaric actions in Ukraine.”

The fall of a rocket in a village in south-eastern Poland which claimed the lives of two people yesterday it took place amid heavy Russian shelling of Ukrainian infrastructure.

Although London considers Washington its closest partner, the relationship has been strained in recent years, partly because of Brexit.

Joe Biden’s government – the US president is proud of his Irish roots – looks down on the British government’s intention to unilaterally revise the special post-Brexit status negotiated with the European Union. He worries that the 1998 peace deal that ended three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland will be undermined.