US, UK to boycott parts of G20 to avoid Russia
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The US and the UK have announced they will not attend parts of the G20 summit Russia is present in.
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The opening ceremony of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 17, 2022 (Reuters)
The US and UK announced that they would boycott parts of the G20 finance ministers' summit scheduled for Wednesday because of the planned participation of the Russian minister.
The US had called for Russia's expulsion from the G20, launching an unprecedented boycott of it because of the war in Ukraine.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov will head Moscow's delegation at the event in Washington and will participate via video link.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was clear that she was not planning "to attend events or meetings that the Russians are participating in," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing on Monday.
Yellen had previously pledged to boycott any events involving Russia and also called for Moscow's full expulsion from the G20. Indonesia, which is hosting the club this year, confirmed that it had already invited Moscow and that Russian President Vladimir Putin would attend. The Treasury Secretary will only attend the opening session of the G20, will use it to show support for Ukraine, and will meet with Ukrainian PM Denis Shmyhal.
British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will also have the same approach, skipping any parts of the G20 where Russia is present.
Beijing has stood by Moscow amid the West's push to isolate it from the international community in response to the Ukraine crisis, with China's Foreign Ministry saying late in March that Russia was an important member of the G20 and that no member has the right to expel it.
