Indonesia’s Widodo calls on G20 to work to ‘end the war’

 When opening a major international gathering in Bali, Indonesia's president appeared to make a reference to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has fueled geopolitical tension and prompted a global increase in food and energy prices, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo has launched the G20 conference in Bali by calling for the world to "stop the conflict" and overcome "wide divisions."

Widodo, also known as Jokowi, recognized the sentiment on Tuesday by telling delegates that it was an honor for Indonesia to host the event.

Before the behind-closed-doors talks started, he stated, "I recognize we need great efforts to be able to sit together in this room."

In an apparent allusion to the conflict in Ukraine, Indonesia's president warned that the world could not afford to enter another cold war and urged G20 countries to cooperate to "stop the fight."

Being responsible necessitates not fostering situations where both parties lose; in this case, it also necessitates calling a ceasefire. He warned international leaders before the summit's opening session that if the war did not cease, progress would be difficult.

Russia is one of the world's twenty largest economies, which is represented by the Group of Twenty (G20), which consists of 19 nations and the European Union. It's home to more than 60% of the world's population and 80% of the global GDP.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, and Indonesia has been trying to be a peacemaker by hosting this meeting. Even though there have been requests inside the G20 for Russia to be excluded, Jokowi has visited both Kyiv and Moscow and extended an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin turned it down, therefore Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is representing Russia in Bali.

Communication concerns

However, on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a video speech to the meeting. Prior to the start of the summit, he made a direct reference to the "G19 summit," and then later in his remarks, he pleaded for calm.

Acording to a translation of his address into Ukrainian provided by the AFP news agency, Putin told the G20 leaders, "I am confident now is the time when the Russian destructive war must and can be ended." The number of lives it will save is in the thousands.

Those in power in the United States and Europe want the Group of Twenty to issue a statement condemning the eight-month-old invasion and any threats to use nuclear weapons.

Under the condition of anonymity, a senior US official told reporters, "I think you're going to see most members of the G20 make clear that they reject Russia's war in Ukraine."

As the official put it, "Russia's campaign of aggression is being criticized in the harshest possible terms," and many "view Russia's conflict in Ukraine as the root source of great economic and humanitarian hardship in the globe."

It's uncertain, though, if all G20 nations would agree to language that would so strongly denounce Putin's war.

Diplomatic sources told Reuters that Indonesia was pressing for a leaders' proclamation rather than a unified communiqué because of the difficulty of reaching consensus among all countries.

Considering that people everywhere are struggling with soaring prices and several nations are heading towards recession, the United States and its allies are hoping to find common cause with countries that are cautious about condemning Russia but are concerned about the economic impact of a protracted war.

Among the nations worst afflicted by food inflation are Argentina and Turkey, while India and South Africa have been largely silent about Russia's incursion.

China, under President Xi Jinping, has avoided reprimanding Moscow for the war, while making frequent calls for peace.

When Xi and US Vice President Joe Biden first met face to face, they talked about the dispute.

The three hours of conversations, which took place on a Monday in Bali, were described as honest.

There was "reiterated unanimity that a nuclear war should never be undertaken and can never be won," according to the White House. In addition, they "reiterated their firm rejection of any use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine."

China is "very worried about the current situation in Ukraine," Xi reportedly told Vice President Biden, according to the official Chinese readout.

China has always advocated for peaceful resolutions and will do so going forward. We hope that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine can resume soon. We also look forward to serious talks between the United States, NATO, and the European Union and Russia," it said.

On his second trip abroad since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Xi has met with other G20 leaders like France's Emmanuel Macron and Australia's Anthony Albanese in bilateral settings.

SOURCE:NEWS AGENCIES