Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies have issued a declaration deploring “in the strongest terms” Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
The final communique, approved on Wednesday after a two-day summit in Indonesia, said the majority of members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine, but noted there were other views.
It was noteworthy in highlighting the invasion given the divisions among the group, which includes not only Russia itself but also countries such as China and India that have significant trade ties with Moscow and have stopped short of outright criticism of the war.
The statement acknowledged “there were other views and different assessments” and said the G-20 is “not the forum to resolve security issues”.
International law must be upheld, the communique said, also condemning the threat of the use of nuclear weapons. It welcomed the Black Sea grain initiative as the war has prevented much needed grain heading to world markets.
“Many members… expressed concern about the damage caused by the conflict on critical health infrastructure, as well as casualties in health care workers, which have disproportionately affected the most vulnerable, women and children,” said the declaration.
