International
Blinken, Lavrov speak amid war of words over Ukraine at G20 conference
March 02, 2023 | 11:32 PM
The US and its European allies sparred with Russia over the war in Ukraine at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New Delhi yesterday, with the rival sides each accusing the other of destabilising the world.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a brief encounter on the meeting’s sidelines during which Blinken urged Russia to reverse its decision on the New START nuclear treaty, a senior USofficial said.Blinken also told Lavrov that Washington was prepared to support Ukraine to defend itself for as long as it takes, the official said.The two spoke for less than 10 minutes in what is believed to be their first one-on-one conversation in person since before Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine."We always remain hopeful that the Russians will reverse their decision and be prepared to engage in a diplomatic process that can lead to a just and durable peace, but I wouldn’t say that coming out of this encounter there was any expectation that things will change in the near term," the US official said.Blinken, the official added, wanted to "disabuse the Russians of any notion that our support (for Ukraine) might be wavering or the support from our allies and partners might be wavering".The Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov and Blinken spoke "on the move" but did not hold negotiations or a meeting, Russian news agencies reported.News of the exchange came at the end of the day-long G20 meeting which was overshadowed by the Ukraine war.The US and its European allies urged the Group of 20 (G20) nations to keep up pressure on Moscow to end the conflict, now in its second year.Russia hit back, accusing the West of turning work on the G20 agenda into a "farce" and said Western delegations wanted to shift responsibility for their economic failures onto Moscow."We must continue to call on Russia to end its war of aggression and withdraw from Ukraine for the sake of international peace and economic stability," Blinken said in remarks released after his address at the closed-door meeting."Unfortunately, this meeting has again been marred by Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine," Blinken said.He was backed by his counterparts from Germany, France and the Netherlands."Unfortunately, one G20 member prevents all the other 19 from focusing all their efforts on these issues the G20 was created for," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told the meeting, according to the German delegation.Baerbock, addressing Lavrov, urged the Kremlin to return to full implementation of the New START nuclear arms treaty and to resume dialogue with the US."The threat of nuclear weapons should be opposed," she said.President Vladimir Putin last week announced Russia’s decision to suspend participation in the latest START treaty, after accusing the West — without providing evidence — of being directly involved in attempts to strike its strategic air bases.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, speaking at a UN conference in Geneva, said the US had attempted "to probe the security of Russian strategic facilities declared under the New START Treaty by assisting the Kyiv regime in conducting armed attacks against them".French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said the war in Ukraine had hurt "almost every country on the planet, in terms of food, energy, inflation".Indian prime minister calls for unityIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday called for the G20 to bridge differences over Ukraine, telling the opening of a meeting in New Delhi that global governance has "failed". India had wanted its G20 presidency this year to focus on issues such as alleviating poverty and climate finance, but Russia’s war with Ukraine has so far crowded out other agenda items. "The experience of the last few years — financial crisis, climate change, pandemic, terrorism and wars — clearly shows that global governance has failed," Modi said. "We are meeting at a time of deep global divisions... We all have our positions and our perspectives on how these tensions (can) be resolved. However, as the leading economies of the world, we also have a responsibility for those who are not in this room," Modi said. Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she hoped India would use its G20 presidency to broker an end to the Ukraine war, and also unveiled a new strategic partnership with New Delhi. "Prime Minister Modi knows very well Italy’s position, which is giving full support to the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Meloni told reporters.
March 02, 2023 | 11:32 PM