“The West will insist on political discussions”: what can be expected from the G20 summit in Indonesia

On Tuesday, November 15, a two-day G20 summit begins on the Indonesian island of Bali.

It will be held for the 17th time.

It will be attended by leaders and representatives of countries with the most developed and developing economies.

Traditionally, G20 members focus on financial and macroeconomic issues.

As Indonesian President Joko Widodo clarified in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper on November 11, it is important to discuss the current energy crisis, the pandemic, the rising cost of living, food problems and find "concrete ways of cooperation to support the global economy."

Experts believe that in view of the aggravated global geopolitical situation, it will not be possible to avoid general political discussions, especially in light of the fact that Ukraine will be the guest of the summit this year.

“The West will insist on political discussions.

Perhaps they will try to reduce the degree of rhetoric there, since everyone understands that aggressive speeches will not work.

But Western countries will not completely deprive themselves of the opportunity to once again make a statement in the international arena.

Russia should expect political pressure from the West and accusations of all troubles, including economic ones, ”explained Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, in an interview with RT.

Nikita Danyuk, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, agrees with his opinion.

“I believe that the participants will not be able to focus on the core issues of the summit, primarily economic ones.

The bias towards political discussions is obvious, and it began even before the opening of the summit, ”the expert said in a conversation with RT.

attempts at isolation

It is worth noting that even before the start of the summit, a number of Western representatives expressed

the intention to demonstrate to Russia its alleged isolation in the external arena due to the events in Ukraine.

In particular, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on November 11, in an interview with ABC television, said that the international community should continue to put pressure on the Russian Federation, forcing it to retreat, since the worsening economic situation in the world was allegedly connected precisely with Moscow's actions.

“The international community should continue ... urge (Russian President. -

) Vladimir Putin to retreat.

Give Russia back, we would see more than just an improvement in the global economy;

but it is also important that it becomes clear to Mr. Putin that these actions have led to the isolation of Russia from the side of the states,” the head of the Australian Cabinet explained.

Marked with a sharp statement

and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose words on November 12 were replicated by the Western media.

In particular, he announced his intention to "hold Russia to account" and "expose" its alleged contempt for international cooperation.

“This G20 summit will not be routine.

We will call the Putin regime to account, expose its complete contempt for that international cooperation and respect for sovereignty, which are expressed by platforms like the G20,” the politician emphasized.

Later, in an article for The Telegraph, Sunak accused Russia of "economic tensions around the world" and turning food into weapons.

The absence of the British leadership's plans to conduct a constructive dialogue with the Russian Federation on the eve of the G20 meeting was also confirmed by the head of the country's Foreign Ministry on the air of the Sky News TV channel.

According to him, London is not going to return to the normalization of relations with Moscow.

“We will tell them (Russian. -

) everything directly.

We won't treat them like everything's fine.

At the G20 summit, we will not treat them the way we treat our friends and allies,” said James Cleverly.

• British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley

• Gettyimages.ru

• © Janine Schmitz/Photothek

In addition to the British representatives, EU politicians intend to show Russia a cold welcome at the summit.

As The Telegraph reported on November 11, citing diplomatic sources, representatives of the EU countries want to create maximum obstacles for the work of the Russian delegation and convince the other participants to boycott interaction with it.

“It also means discouraging them (international partners. -

) from meetings with (Russian Foreign Minister Sergey. -

) Lavrov or any other head of the Russian delegation, or during Russia’s speech to organize people leaving the hall,” one of the representatives told the newspaper EU Foreign Service.

According to him, the Commonwealth intends to express its position to Russia regarding its actions "right in the face."

The fact that “the topic of the military conflict in Ukraine will be central in Bali,” the source in the Elysee Palace also told the publication.

“There will be a coalition, Russia is isolated,” he said.

At the same time, The Telegraph sources admit that their critical speeches may not meet with support among the rest of the summit participants.

There is little chance that the West will succeed in consolidating the G20 participants on the basis of anti-Russian rhetoric, diplomatic sources of the Politico newspaper note.

According to them, Western countries are unlikely to be able to repeat the success they achieved at the G7 summit on November 4, adopting the final communiqué condemning Russia's actions.

“It is clear that we cannot have the same rigidity as in the G7 when the consent of the Russians, Chinese and Saudis is required,” the source said.

Politico also reported that the Indonesian leadership is taking steps to prevent tensions at the summit, urging Western leaders to soften the rhetoric towards the Russian Federation in order to pass the final resolution of the meeting.

• Flags of countries participating in the G20 summit

• Gettyimages.ru

• © Christoph Soeder/picture alliance

Guest Member

However, Ukraine, which is invited to the summit this year as a guest, clearly does not intend to reduce tension.

Despite the fact that its President Volodymyr Zelensky refused to travel to Indonesia, he plans to address the participants online.

“Our position will be presented in a very meaningful way.

We will give answers to many questions that are being raised now.

public responses.

So that all our people, all our partners, each and every one who supports us can hear them, ”he said in an address on November 13.

In turn, the Verkhovna Rada presented a draft law on appealing to the G20 with a request to exclude Russia from the group, strengthen sanctions against Moscow and increase financial assistance to Ukraine.

Previously, Canada and the United States came forward with a similar initiative.

However, as Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Grushko noted on November 14 in a comment to journalists, it is impossible to exclude Russia from the G20.

“These are political exercises on the topic, but nothing more.

The G20 is much wider than the Western partners,” the diplomat explained.

Concentration of efforts on real threats

The Russian delegation this year is led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Vladimir Putin will miss the G20 meeting due to a busy work schedule, press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov told reporters on November 11.

According to him, the online speech of the leader at the meeting is also not planned.

At the same time, Peskov noted that through Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin conveyed to the Indonesian leadership "words of gratitude for the constructive dialogue" on the eve of the summit.

Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have already expressed their regrets over the absence of the Russian president at the Bali summit.

At the same time, both politicians tried to link Putin's decision with his alleged unwillingness to face criticism at the summit.

“It would be nice if President Putin went to the G20 summit.

But then he would have to face all the questions and all the criticism that is formulated by many countries,” Scholz told reporters on November 13.

In turn, Sunak, in an article for The Telegraph on the same day, lamented that now the head of the Russian Federation "will not even try to explain his actions" in relation to Ukraine to the West.

Meanwhile, at the summit in Indonesia, Russia intends to announce a number of initiatives in the field of food and energy and emphasize the importance of demonopolizing the global economic architecture.

As Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova explained on November 10, the Russian side will confirm its readiness to remain a reliable supplier of food products and energy resources to foreign markets and will speak out against any attempts at price and other external pressure on countries.

In addition, on the sidelines of the summit, the issue of the future fate of the grain deal may be raised, Alexander Grushko specified.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry clarified that Moscow considers it fundamentally important for the G20 to concentrate its efforts on real, rather than far-fetched threats.

“We categorically do not accept the politicization of the G20, the introduction of non-core and obviously confrontational stories into its discussions, the isolation of individual participants on false charges.

We are convinced that the G20 is called upon to deal specifically with the socio-economic block of problems.

Expanding its agenda to include peace and security issues, which many other countries are also talking about, is not viable,” the ministry said on November 13.

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

• globallookpress.com

Will not sacrifice their own interests

Experts agree that attempts by Western countries to reduce the G20 meeting to condemning Russia's actions, shifting responsibility for the economic situation in the world to it and organizing the isolation of the Russian Federation will not be successful.

“The isolation of Russia is of little benefit to anyone.

Countries that are not part of the so-called collective West do not support pressure on Moscow, although they understand that it can spread to them as well.

However, they also realize that it is Russia that can resist the West, which is trying to impose its own rules of the game on everyone, and, accordingly, support them on the path of development and strengthening their independence on the world stage,” believes Vladimir Bruter.

Meanwhile, Western countries are unlikely to give up trying to win over as many G20 participants as possible with promises or threats, Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, said in a comment to RT.

• UN Secretary General António Guterres in Bali

• Gettyimages.ru

• © Emin Sansar/Anadolu Agency

“The Anglo-Saxons and others like them are actively announcing their plans to create the appearance of isolation for Russia at the summit.

They hope to inspire other countries with this idea.

But I note that this is only an appearance.

Most large states, such as China, India, Turkey, are able to resist this, defending their interests.

After all, cooperation with the Russian Federation is beneficial to them, no matter what they say in the West.

And they will not sacrifice their interests to please anyone, ”the analyst is sure.

In addition, the world community is already tired of the efforts of Western countries everywhere to push Ukraine of interest to them to the detriment of other global problems, Nikita Danyuk stressed.

“Attempts to consolidate the G20 countries around anti-Russian rhetoric will not succeed.

The Western camp always acts unitedly and in the same way, but it always fails when it tries to draw other countries into this orbit.

In addition, the Ukrainian situation has nothing to do with the agenda of the summit - the economy and energy.

It can only be tied indirectly - through a grain deal, ”the expert is sure.

Analysts also believe that the fate of the final communiqué at the G20 is still in question.

Despite all the efforts of the Indonesian leadership to smooth over the political corners at the summit and call on the West for a constructive conversation, it will be difficult to agree on a declaration that would satisfy all countries.

“Westerners will seek to ensure that Russia is somehow condemned in a communiqué – not for Ukraine, but for the economic and energy crisis.

It is possible that they will propose formulations that would hardly lead to a general declaration.

Another thing is that this document does not have any binding legal force.

However, its approval would demonstrate that world countries can still negotiate with each other, ”summed up Olenchenko.