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NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) nations met in Bali on Tuesday, with host Indonesia calling for unity and concrete action to repair the global economy despite deep rifts over the Ukraine war.
“We have no choice but to work together to save the world,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in his opening statement before the leaders of the world’s richest nation began discussions behind closed doors.
“The G20 must be a catalyst for an inclusive economic recovery. We should not divide the world into pieces. We cannot plunge the world into another cold war.”
The G20, which includes countries such as Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia and Germany, accounts for more than 80 percent of the world’s gross domestic product, 75 percent of international trade and 60 percent of the population.
In a positive sign ahead of the summit, U.S. President Joe Biden held three hours of bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which the two leaders pledged to communicate more frequently despite many differences.
Monday’s meeting, the first between the two since Biden became president, appeared to signal an improvement in relations between the superpowers after a downward spiral in recent months.
The war in Ukraine and soaring global inflation overshadowed the summit, the first since Russia invaded its neighbor in February.
The incursion sparked calls from some Western leaders to boycott the summit and for Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw the invitation.
Indonesia has resisted, refusing to withdraw Putin’s invitation and what Indonesian sources said was pressure from G7 countries to condemn Russia at this week’s summit.
Russia said Putin was too busy to attend the summit, which was replaced by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. On Monday, Lavrov dismissed reports from news agencies that he had been taken to a Bali hospital with a heart attack and attended a meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at the summit via video link, according to a tweet from the EU ambassador to Indonesia.
A G20 communiqué that would require agreement by all parties seemed unlikely, with Indonesia pushing instead for a statement from the leaders, diplomatic sources said.
However, European Council President Charles Michel said officials had reached an agreement on a text communiqué on Monday night, which he called “positive”.
G20 leaders would condemn the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, according to an early draft seen by Reuters.
However, such a communiqué would need to be confirmed by leaders.
The G20 ministerial meeting failed to produce a joint communiqué due to language differences between Russia and other members, including how to describe the war in Ukraine.
opposition chorus
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that Putin’s regime will hear global opposition to its actions. His government said Sunak would call on the G20 to take coordinated action to address economic instability and rising living costs following the Russian invasion.
U.S. officials said Biden would be “unapologetic” in defending Ukraine.
“I’m not going to advance the final negotiations, but the G20 will make it clear that Russia’s war is wreaking havoc on people around the world and on the entire global economy,” said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity for the U.S. view of the summit.
But Xi and Putin have grown closer in recent years and reaffirmed their partnership days before Russia invaded Ukraine. Still, China has been careful not to provide any direct material support that could trigger Western sanctions.
Xi Jinping told French President Emmanuel Macron during a bilateral meeting on Tuesday that China advocated a ceasefire and peace talks in Ukraine, according to Chinese state media.
During their meeting, Biden and Xi “emphasized their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” according to a White House statement. A statement from China’s foreign minister said Xi told Biden not to use nuclear weapons and not to fight a nuclear war.
Ukraine’s Zelensky late on Monday welcomed “important statements” ahead of the G20 meeting, which included not allowing the threat of the use of nuclear weapons.
Since the February invasion of Ukraine, the West has accused Russia of making irresponsible statements about the possible use of nuclear weapons. Russia in turn accused the West of “provocative” nuclear rhetoric.
During the summit, many leaders will hold bilateral talks, including several meeting with Xi Jinping, who is on his second trip abroad since the pandemic began.
After his meeting with Macron, Xi plans to hold talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South Korean President Yoon Hek-yeol and then with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as China seeks to reduce friction with the United States and its allies.
“It’s not conclusive, but an important step towards reducing differences,” said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.
(Reporting by Franciska Nangoy, Stanley Widianto, Nandita Bose, Leika Kihara, David Lawder and Simon Lewis in Nusa Dua, Kate Lamb in Sydney and Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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