G20 finance chiefs fail to reach joint statement amid disagreements over war in Ukraine
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Kyodo.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has exposed a deep division within the G20 between Russia and China on the one hand and Western nations that have levied sanctions on Moscow on the other, the report says.
Brazil, which holds the G20 presidency this year, issued a chair's summary wrapping up the two days of talks, mentioning in a footnote the finance forum is not the appropriate place to discuss geopolitical issues.
It is not the first time that the group has failed to issue a joint communique, though the finance chiefs did so after reaching a consensus in the previous meeting last year.
According to Masato Kanda, Japan’s Vice Finance Minister for International affairs, many countries “strongly condemned Russia's invasion and the terror attack by Hamas (on Israel), and expressed concern about the alarming humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.
"Given the serious negative impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the global economy, Japan is of the view that the issue should be addressed by the G20," he said.
As Ukrinform reported, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said he would not agree to any the G20 communique that omits mention of the war in Ukraine.
