Brazilian President accelerates G20 final statement adoption, drawing criticism from EU leaders
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (photo: Getty Images)
At the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Europeans criticized Brazilian President Lula da Silva's decision to approve the final communiqué ahead of schedule to avoid disputes over Russia's role in the war in Ukraine, reports Reuters.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he regretted the absence of a clear statement of Russia's responsibility for the war in the document. This statement was made on the day that marked 1000 days since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"It is too little when the G20 cannot find the words to make it clear Russia is responsible," Scholz said after the summit.
The formulation of questions about the war in Ukraine was difficult from the very beginning, as both Russia and its allies were present at the meetings. Russia was represented at the summit by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed dissatisfaction with the final document, noting that it could have been clearer. However, he emphasized that this does not change France's position.
“It is a war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine and our priority today is to obtain a lasting peace,” he said.
According to diplomats, the decision to accelerate the publication of the communiqué was made to prevent the risk of the summit ending without a final statement. European countries called for stronger wording on Russia's role, but their requests went unanswered.
Scholz noted that the disagreement over the text of the G20 statement reflects the changing geopolitical reality.
“It is becoming clear how much geopolitical tensions are also having an impact on the G20,” he said.
The Brazilian side justified its actions by the need to preserve the final document, which was the result of intense negotiations.
“To reopen the text would have jeopardized the entire effort of a week of negotiations,” said one Brazilian official.
G20 summit in Brazil
The G20 summit took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The day before, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reminded the audience of the principle: “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” He emphasized that Kyiv supports efforts to achieve a just peace, but will not accept initiatives developed without Ukraine's participation.
Read more about the summit in RBC-Ukraine's article In Trump's shadow: What to expect from first G20 summit after US elections.
