The war in Ukraine has opened a rift between Western powers and emerging countries in the G20 – a group of the world’s largest economies – and already makes negotiators from member states question the viability of the November leaders’ summit in Indonesia.
Interlocutors from different governments point out that, if the conflict continues for the next few months, it will be impossible for US President Joe Biden and European allies to be willing to travel to the island of Bali if Russian leader Vladimir Putin or other Moscow officials are among the guests.
The last G20 summit was held at the end of last year, in Rome, with the presence of the Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro (PL). Putin did not attend in person, as he avoided international travel amid concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus. He sent a recorded message.
The division in the organization was evident at a recent technical meeting in late February convened by Indonesia. The meeting took place between the so-called Sherpas, diplomats who annually lead the group’s work until the meeting of heads of state.
Jakarta’s idea was for the Sherpa videoconference to bypass the war in Ukraine, with the dialogue centered on the cooperation agenda launched by the rotating presidency — under the slogan of a stronger and more sustainable post-pandemic economic recovery. However, the US and European delegations advocated that the G20 take a series of actions against the Russian invasion.
First, they asked the group to condemn Moscow’s aggression in harsh terms, arguing that the collegiate should issue a joint statement ratifying the recent resolution passed by the UN General Assembly criticizing the military operation. They also pushed for support for the sanctions package against Putin, key figures in the regime and the country’s economy.
The central argument was that the G20 cannot continue with its work agenda and ignore the crisis in Eastern Europe, in a diplomatic offensive that integrates an effort by Western governments to promote, in different international organizations, the strategy of total isolation against the Russian president.
Among the nations that endorsed this stance at the Sherpa meeting were Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as the delegation representing the European Union. The action of the rich countries, however, split the members of the G20. Emerging countries, including Brazil, did not embark on the proposal.
The group of the world’s largest economies has no secretariat or structure of its own — all decisions must be adopted by consensus. The most energetic reaction, as might be expected, came from Russian diplomats. They claimed that the West’s position showed partiality and said that, as full members of the G20, they would veto any draft declaration against the Putin government.
But the division went beyond the Moscow delegation. Diplomats from China, India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey said that the G20 is not the appropriate forum for debates on geopolitical issues and that the organization should remain focused on issues of the global economy – Brazil has aligned itself with these countries.
When asked about the topic, Itamaraty stated that, at the technical meeting, Ambassador Sarquis José Buainain Sarquis “defended that the G20 remain focused on its objective of dialogue and economic, financial and development cooperation, carrying forward its work on the matter”.
The Brazilian diplomat, according to the ministry, said during the meeting that the Brazilian position on the conflict has been expressed in the Security Council and the UN General Assembly. “[Sarquis] added that Brazil has supported not only the immediate end of hostilities, but also the construction of a lasting peace.”
At the United Nations, Brazil voted in favor of resolutions condemning Russian military action against Ukraine. But the country has also registered in its demonstrations discontent with the content of the texts, considered unbalanced and, at times, not very constructive in their hostility to Moscow.
On condition of anonymity, interlocutors heard by the sheet point out that Brazil resists the attempt by the US and allies to use different international forums to criticize the Kremlin’s military offensive. In the Brazilian view, peace and security issues should be concentrated in the Security Council —in which the country has a temporary mandate— or in the UN General Assembly.
The discontent was evident at the United Nations Human Rights Council, in which the country favored the creation of an international commission of inquiry into human rights violations after the invasion. The head of the Brazilian delegation in Geneva, Tovar da Silva Nunes, said when voting on March 4 that Brazil advocated a “more balanced project”.
“We are also frustrated with the fact that our comments on key language on peace and security were not properly taken into account. The text still contains a number of references that would be better addressed in other UN forums,” said the diplomat in the occasion.
The case of the G20 would follow the same logic: it is a forum for economic cooperation that, due to the dissonant interests of its members in political matters, is hardly able to reach consensus on matters of international security. THE sheet Itamaraty said that, over the years, the group’s scope has expanded beyond “economic, commercial and financial cooperation, encompassing themes related to sustainable development”. But he stressed that “traditionally, political issues, especially those of peace and security, are not dealt with within the framework of the G20”.
Negotiators from emerging countries on the collegiate fear that the American and European offensive will block the discussions in 2022. They also say that a scenario in which, with the persistence of the crisis, a way to try to exclude Russia from the G20 is not ruled out, as it was made in the G8 in 2014, due to the annexation of Crimea – the group became what is now the G7.
Retaliation, however, could have the power to deepen the split even further.
Who is in the G20 today
South Africa
Argentina*
Brazil*
Canada*
USA*
Mexico*
China
Japan*
South Korea*
India
Indonesia*
Saudi Arabia*
Turkey*
European Union
Germany*
France*
Italy*
United Kingdom*
Russia
Australia*
*Voted in favor of UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine
South Africa, China and India abstained, and Russia voted against; the European Union is a bloc that is not part of the UN
