The leaders of the G20 adopted, Wednesday, November 16, a joint declaration at the end of their summit in Bali, in which they say they reiterate their position on the war in Ukraine. 

Indonesian President Joko Widodo stressed that the negotiations for the publication of a joint statement had been "very difficult", welcoming the effort of the leaders of the major world economies to obtain an agreement.

The text notes that the “most” of the G20 members, “strongly condemned the war in Ukraine” and calls for the extension of an agreement for the export of grain through Ukrainian Black Sea ports which is expiring November 19.

Declaration adopted unanimously

"The discussions were very, very hard, and finally, all the leaders agreed on the content of the declaration which is the condemnation of the war in Ukraine", indicated Joko Widodo during the closing press conference. .

The conflict started in February by Russia "has caused distress for the people and deteriorated the world economic conditions".

The most debated paragraph is the one that evokes the war waged by Russia in Ukraine.

"We discussed this until midnight, and finally the Bali declaration was reached by consensus."

"We agreed that the war had an impact on the global economy," he said.

The world economy cannot prosper "without peace, that's why I said the war must end", noted the leader of the largest country in Southeast Asia.

According to at least three diplomatic sources, the statement, which stresses that there are other views and "different assessments" of the situation and the sanctions, was adopted unanimously.

The text also qualifies as "inadmissible" the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

"It is essential to respect international law and the multilateral system which preserves peace and stability. This includes the defense of all the objectives and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations", he adds.

The wording of the statement implies that Russia has accepted this diagnosis, while Moscow has maintained for months that the energy and food crises are mainly caused by Western sanctions against it.

Joko Widodo, who hosted the two-day summit in Bali overshadowed by the war in Ukraine, handed over to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, whose country will chair the G20 next year.

India maintains strong economic relations with Moscow.

With AFP and Reuters

The summary of the

France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 app