Indonesia Asks West To Soften Russia Rhetoric As Joint G20 Communique Hangs In Air

Indonesian politicians are pressuring Western leaders to soften their criticism of Russia over its war against Ukraine as the G20 presidency worries that the summit in Bali could end without joint communique, POLITICO reports citing diplomatic sources.

• "[Indonesian President] Widodo 'considers it a personal success' if a G20 declaration could be reached, one of the officials said, adding that the Indonesian leader has lamented repeatedly that he is chairing the 'most difficult' G20 summit ever": POLITICO.
• The growing fragmentation of the group of world's largest economies manifested in repeated failures to reach agreement on joint declarations at the recent gatherings of G20 Finance Ministers. Indonesia's finance chief told the press that the adversarial climate within the group stands in contrast with prior instances of coordinated action.
• The ASEAN summit held in Cambodia wrapped up Sunday without the customary joint statement, as the U.S. and Russia failed to agree on the language. Russia was represented by its Foreign Minister Lavrov, who put the blame on the U.S. and its allies, accusing them of trying to "militarise" Southeast Asia.