Reuters
Jakarta ●
Thu, April 14, 2022
G20 host Indonesia said on Thursday that Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has confirmed he planned to attend next week’s meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 major economies virtually.
Indonesian finance ministry official Wempi Saputra also told a briefing that Jakarta was considering whether to invite Ukraine to the meeting, which will be held on April 20 in Washington, to discuss the impact of the war in Ukraine.
Last week, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that Russia should be expelled from the Group of 20 major economies forum, and the United States will boycott some G20 meetings if Russian officials show up.
Yellen, who spoke at a US House Financial Services Committee hearing, was referring to an April 20 G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting, a Treasury spokesperson said – raising questions about the forum’s role in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since 2008, the club has addressed issues from COVID-19 relief to cross-border debt. It also includes countries such as China, India and Saudi Arabia that have been reluctant to condemn the invasion, which Russia calls a “special military operation”.
Yellen told lawmakers that Russia’s invasion and the killings of civilians in the town of Bucha “represent an unacceptable affront to the rules-based global order and will have enormous economic repercussions.”
The United States and allies have placed greater emphasis in recent months on the G7 grouping of industrial democracies, whose interests are more aligned, using those meetings to coordinate their response to Russia’s war.
Yellen said the Biden administration wants to push Russia out of active participation in major international institutions, though it was unlikely it could be expelled from the International Monetary Fund given its rules.
“President Biden’s made it clear... that it cannot be business as usual for Russia in any of the financial institutions,” Yellen said.
“He’s asked that Russia be removed from the G20, and I’ve made clear to my colleagues in (presidency holder) Indonesia that we will not be participating in a number of meetings if the Russians are there.”
