Russia's war in Ukraine casts shadow over G20 summit

G20 foreign ministers met in Bali on Thursday as diplomats gather for a summit on the Indonesian resort island.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is among the foreign ministers attending the meeting, which is overshadowed by tensions surrounding Moscow's decision to invade Ukraine.

The top diplomats from the Group of 20 developed and emerging economies are gathering in Bali, with an agenda focused on global cooperation and food and energy security.

In a statement ahead of her arrival in Bali, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said of the ongoing war: "It is in the interest of us all to ensure that international law is respected and adhered to. That is the common denominator."

Food and energy alarms

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are also set to attend the meeting as concern among western governments grows over the impact of the Ukraine conflict on the cost of food and energy, which has prompted the UN to warn of an "unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution."

But it is Lavrov's presence that is causing most disquiet among western diplomats.

The summit will be the first face-to-face meeting between President Vladimir Putin's long-serving foreign minister and some of Russia's biggest critics since the invasion began on February 24.

Lavrov had planned to meet some G20 counterparts on the sidelines of the summit, Russian news agency TASS reported, but several ministers, including Baerbock and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have ruled out meeting the Kremlin's top diplomat.

Lavrov and Wang met Thursday. A Russian foreign ministry statement noted that Lavrov informed "about the implementation of the main missions of the special military operation" in Ukraine and reiterated Moscow's rhetoric that its aim is to "denazify" Ukraine.

Not a normal meeting, says German Foreign Ministry

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christian Wagner said it would not be a "normal summit" nor "business as usual."

Despite the possibility of a boycott, the US State Department said on Tuesday that Blinken would be a "full and active participant" in Bali. But there would not be a formal meeting between the US and Lavrov, it said, adding that Moscow was not "serious about diplomacy."

"We have not seen that [Russian diplomacy] yet," said State Department spokesperson Ned Price. "We would like to have the Russians give us a reason to meet on a bilateral basis with them, with foreign minister Lavrov, but the only thing we have seen emanate from Moscow is more brutality and aggression against the people and country of Ukraine."

China and the US at loggerheads

There are divisions aplenty among the G20, underscored by China's comments ahead of the summit.

On Wednesday, China launched a scathing attack on the US and NATO, just days before Blinken and the Chinese foreign minister are due to meet in Bali on Saturday.

Washington "observes international rules only as it sees fit," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing. He said the "so-called rules-based international order is actually a family rule made by a handful of countries to serve the US self-interest."

As this year's president of the G20, Indonesia has been forced into playing a more constructive role on the world stage rather than acting just as an "event organizer." The country has taken a neutral stance over Russia's invasion of its neighbor and President Joko Widodo has been particularly guarded in his comments regarding the conflict and was the first Asian leader to visit the warring countries.

China and Australia are also due to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit, signalling a possible thaw in relations.

"We believe it would be in China and Australia's interest for this relationship to be stabilized, and that would require both parties to make a step," Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday.

Wang and Lavrov meet

Later on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang met Russian counterpart Lavrov to discuss the conflict in Ukraine.

The pair were pictured holding a bilateral meeting on the Indonesian resort island.

Beijing has maintained amicable ties with Russia as Western nations have sought to isolate President Vladimir Putin's government from the global financial and diplomatic order over the invasion.

Lavrov explained to Wang "about the implementation of the main missions of the special military operation" in Ukraine and repeated the Kremlin's rhetoric that its aim is to "denazify" the country, a Russian foreign ministry statement said. 

EU concerned Russia will hijack summit

Meanwhile, the European Union, who also have a representative in Bali, said it will not allow Moscow to "abuse the G20 as its own propaganda platform," foreign affairs spokesperson Nabila Massrali said at a news conference in Brussels on Thursday.

"Russia's high level political participation at the G20 meeting may pose a threat to the G20's credibility, efficiency and relevance," Massrali said.

UK's Truss heads for exit following Prime Minister Johnson's resignation

The UK's foreign secretary Liz Truss was reportedly returning to the UK shortly after arriiving in Bali for the summit after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation.

Truss was no longer scheduled to attend meetings Friday and instead would be replaced by a senior official from the British Foreign Office.

ar, jsi/fb (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)