Finance ministers of the G20 differ in their views on the war

The G20 finance ministers are still debating how to describe the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip in a joint communique.

This is reported by RBC-Ukraine regarding Reuters.

"The spat, which occurred just hours before the scheduled end of the G20 talks, underscores the deep division among the group's members over escalating geopolitical tensions that Brazil, which presides over, is trying to overcome," the paper writes.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said there was reason to be confident that G20 finance ministers would agree on a communique citing geopolitical risks to economic growth.

But G20 finance ministers and central bank governors have yet to agree on some parts of the statement.

Also, G7 members and Japan support the idea of talking about the war "in" Ukraine, while Russia wants to describe it as a war "inside" Ukraine.

G7 members also support wording describing the war in Gaza as a "humanitarian crisis" without mentioning Israel. Japan has told its G20 colleagues that it condemns the terrorist act by Hamas and is deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Brazilian officials hosting the event tried to focus talks on economic cooperation to tackle issues such as climate change and poverty, but countries including Germany insisted on a joint statement that mentioned the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.

Lindner insisted that it is impossible to conduct business as usual because of the ongoing war against Ukraine, the "terror" of Hamas, and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

"All this cannot leave us indifferent, all this must be discussed here," he told reporters, adding that there are reasons to be sure that the communiqué can be signed.

He also said that a project has been prepared that reflects the request for discussion of geopolitical issues.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 01/03/2024