INDONESIA: World leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) economies convened for a summit for a second day on Wednesday in Bali, although the schedule was temporarily interjected by a sudden meeting to deliberate upon reports of a missile landing in Polish territory near Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden said that the United States and its NATO allies were getting to the bottom of the reports, but initial intel received did not confirm whether the missile was fired by Russia.
NATO member Poland affirmed that the missile strike claimed the lives of two people on Tuesday in eastern Poland near Ukraine, and it summoned Russia’s ambassador to Warsaw for an explanation after the Kremlin denied any involvement.
The G20 Bali summit of 2022 was attended by the leaders of the Group of Seven nations, including Spain, the Netherlands, and the EU. The G7 group includes Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Britain, Japan, and the United States.
Following the meeting, the G20 leaders, garbed in white shirts and some baseball caps with the G20 logo, engaged in a planting ceremony to signal the battle against climate change.
Moreover, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen conducted a two-hour meeting with Chinese Central Bank Governor Yi Gang.
Yellen said she was interested in getting new insights about China’s policy agenda and working toward a more economically profitable relationship between the two world superpowers.
The Ukraine conflict was also a major priority at the summit, and it predominantly occupied the main theme of the conversation.
Many G20 leaders said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” against Ukraine had pummelling the global economy and revived Cold War-era geopolitical tensions, even revitalising fears of a potential nuclear war.
The United States and its allies were seeking a statement from the G20 summit against Moscow’s military actions.
“Yes, there is a war going on in Ukraine, a hybrid war that the West has unleashed and been preparing for years,” said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, repeating Putin’s line that military alliance NATO’s expansion had threatened Russia.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a conversation with his newly-elected British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, over bilateral ties, discussing ways to increase commercial linkages and raising the scope of economic and military cooperation.
The summit declaration on Tuesday ended as follows: “It is essential to uphold international law and a multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability.”
Also Read: G20 Summit Bali 2022: Countries Set to Focus on Global Health Architecture
