1 year ago
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the United States' decision to accept the joint statement from G20 leaders on Russia’s war in Ukraine that did not replicate the group’s previous stance condemning Russia for its invasion.
“The G20 countries in this statement all stood up for the importance of territorial integrity, sovereignty — and that’s very clear,” Blinken said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The group’s statement this year did not call out Russia by name, but said that all countries should “refrain from action against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state.”
The wording, which Western countries called for to signal a continued condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, could also appease complaints from Moscow that attacks inside Russia have escalated since the beginning of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was deeply involved in the weeks of negotiations leading to the final version.
“I was in the room when all the leaders spoke today with President Biden and it was very clear from everything that they said that not only do they want to see this war end, but they want to see it end on just and durable terms and it was also very clear that the consequences of Russia's aggression are being felt throughout the G20 countries and throughout the developing world,” Blinken said Sunday.
“I think it's very important that the G20 spoke as one,” Blinken added. “To some extent, maybe it's the G19, because obviously, Russia is also here as part of the G20.”
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