Britain calls for Russia to be barred from the G20 summit, after Liz Truss pledged to confront Vladimir Putin at the event
British Secretary for Foreign Affairs Liz Truss attends a joint press conference with her Czech counterpart on May 27, 2022 in Prague. © Michal Cizek / AFP
The British government has suggested Russia should not be allowed to attend the November G20 summit in Bali.
“Russia has no moral right to sit at the G20 while its aggression in Ukraine persists,” a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said, according to Reuters.
The spokesman also reportedly praised Indonesia, the summit host, for its efforts “to ensure that the impacts of Russia’s war are considered in G20 meetings” while welcoming the country’s decision to invite Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to the meeting, despite his country not being a member of the Group of 20 leading economies.
The latest anti-Russia salvo from the UK comes after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said last month she would be ready to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin at the event.
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“I would go there, and I would call Putin out,” she said at the time.
Liz Truss is the leading contender to replace outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the other leadership hopeful being former chancellor Rishi Sunak.
On Friday, Sunak’s representative also called on the G20 to bar Vladimir Putin from its summits over the Ukraine conflict. Commenting on his statement, Truss’ team reiterated her previous position on the matter.
Earlier, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said both Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had confirmed that they would personally attend the group’s summit.
Indonesia, which holds the rotating presidency, has been under considerable pressure to exclude the Russian leader from the gathering. However, Jakarta has refused to budge, with its foreign ministry saying in March that it would “remain impartial” and invite all members as planned.
