Western officials want to steer clear of Russian representative at a key meeting in Washington
Some Western nations are set to boycott parts of a summit of G20 finance ministers scheduled for Wednesday due to the planned participation of the Russian minister. The US called for Russia’s expulsion from the club of the world’s most powerful economies over the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov is heading Moscow’s delegation at the event on Wednesday in Washington and will be participating via a video link, the ministry confirmed this week.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen “has made clear that she isn’t planning to attend events or meetings that the Russians are participating in,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a daily briefing on Monday, commenting on the upcoming meeting.
The secretary’s participation was confirmed by her department on the same day. She previously pledged to boycott any events involving Russia and called for Moscow’s full expulsion from the club. Consequently, her involvement in the G20 gathering was put into question after Indonesia, the current chair of the group, confirmed that Moscow had been invited.
According to a Washington Post source, Yellen will only attend the opening session of the meeting and will use the opportunity to show support for Ukraine. She is also scheduled to meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal.
British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is reportedly taking the same approach to the G20 event. According to Reuters sources, he will skip any parts where Russia would be represented.
The US and its allies have been using diplomatic pressure to rally the world against Russia, but the push has not been very successful in non-Western countries, including some economic powerhouses.
China openly blamed NATO for creating the conditions for triggering Russia’s attack against Ukraine and repeatedly criticized economic sanctions as a tool of coercion in international relations. India ramped up its trade with Russia, defying Western calls to do the opposite.
The G20 is one of the most prominent international gatherings where that split may come to the forefront. Indonesia is to hold the annual summit of leaders of member states in November. Russia puts much value in its participation, saying the G20 is far more representative of the world community than the “obsolete” West-dominated G7.
Russia attacked Ukraine in late February, following Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.
As five million people have already fled Ukraine and another seven million are displaced internally, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly T. Clements urged the Security Council on Tuesday to ‘put aside’ its divisions and find a way to end the “horrific and senseless war”, now in its eighth week.
Bihać, Bosnia, Apr 19 (IPS) – Supported by the European Journalism Centre*Responding to several shouts Viraj emerges from the ruins of his shelter in northwest Bosnia. He is originally from India but is now squatting near Bihać in what remains of a house abandoned since the 1990s Balkans war.
Canada has followed the US in trying to punish Russian president’s adult children over Moscow’s war in Ukraine
Canada has joined the US in trying to make retribution against Russia over the Ukraine conflict more personal, imposing new sanctions against President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters.
Ottawa’s latest sanctions target 14 individuals connected to the “Russian regime,” including Putin daughters Katerina Tikhonova and Mariya Putina. Both women are in their 30s and have no known roles in Russia’s government.
“These actions demonstrate that Canada will not relent in holding Russian President Vladimir Putin and his associates accountable for their complicity in the Russian regime’s invasion of Ukraine,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Tuesday in a statement.
The announcement didn’t identify any of the targeted individuals by name, saying only that they were “oligarchs and their family members” who are “close associates of the Russian regime.” Sanctioned individuals will be subject to asset freezes and unspecified restrictions. The ministry accused Russia of “barbaric acts” in Ukraine.
“Canada continues to stand by the brave men and women fighting for their freedom in Ukraine,” Joly said. “We will continue to impose severe costs on the Russian regime in coordination with our allies and will relentlessly pursue accountability for their actions. They will answer for their crimes.”
Since the Russian military offensive began, Canada has slapped sanctions on more than 1,200 individuals and entities. The latest measures come two weeks after Washington announced sanctions against Putin’s daughters. “We believe that many of Putin’s assets are hidden with family members, and that’s why we’re targeting them,” a US official told reporters.
