Adedokun Waliyu 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says if it were up to him, the G20 leaders’ declaration on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would have been much stronger.
At a closing summit news conference, Trudeau said Sunday that if other leaders had their way, the declaration would have been much weaker.
He called the G20 an “extremely disparate group,” adding representatives worked very hard “to get as strong language as we possibly could.”
Global economic leaders agreed on a final declaration at the G20 summit, but the language surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has softened since the leaders last met.
The consensus statement from this year’s summit in India was posted by the host country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, a day before the summit’s conclusion.
It calls for the cessation of military destruction or other attacks on relevant infrastructure, as the violence is affecting food and energy security as well as supply chains.
Gone is language from last year’s G20 summit in Bali, where leaders directly criticized Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and demanded its troops withdraw from the territory.
Trudeau said Sunday that Canada would continue to support Ukraine with whatever it takes for as long as it takes.
“Not only is Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine criminal and unacceptable, and killing thousands of people, it’s also creating energy and food insecurity around the world.”
Trudeau said this week he advocated for collective action to hold Russia’s Vladimir Putin accountable and to secure “a just and durable peace” that starts with Moscow’s immediate withdrawal from Ukraine.
Canada will never recognize the results of the “ongoing sham elections” held by Russia in Ukraine, he added. “People like Putin mistake being reasonable for being weak. He is dead wrong.”
The G20 urged the resumption of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizer shipments from Russia and Ukraine, saying it was necessary to feed people in Africa and other parts of the developing world.
The leaders’ communique also focused on gender equality, countering terrorism and money laundering, and building digital technology and green infrastructure.
