Putin must listen to what Western leaders say

Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) economies met online in a supplementary summit hosted by India as the rotating chair on November 22, agreeing to resolve the Palestine-Israel conflict based on the two-state principle to ensure stability in the Middle East.

“A two-state solution is necessary to establish stability in West Asia,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after the conference in New Delhi.

This is the first international event that Russian President Vladimir Putin has attended and spoken alongside Western leaders since the Kremlin launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

G20 members include the G7 countries (US, UK, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, Italy), the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), large-scale emerging economies (Australia, Argentina, Mexico, South Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye) and the European Union (EU).

At an online conference, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on the Russian leader to withdraw troops from Ukraine.

“I have called on President Putin to stop the attack on Ukraine and withdraw his troops from Ukrainian territory so that this war can finally end,” Mr Scholz said at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – who was visiting Berlin – after the G20 summit ended.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attend the G20 Summit online, November 22, 2023, at the Berlin end - where Ms. Meloni is visiting. Photo: Italian Government website

Mr Scholz said the virtual summit, which he attended with his Italian counterpart, was “a good opportunity for us to make clear that peace in Ukraine is under threat because of Russia’s aggression, and that peace can be easily restored if Russia withdraws its troops”.

“And we made that very clear,” said Mr. Scholz, who said the conference was interesting because Mr. Putin had to listen to calls from Western leaders to withdraw troops.

Ms Meloni said she agreed with Mr Scholz’s assessment. The Italian prime minister said it was “easy” for Mr Putin to attend the conference online because the Russian leader did not have to leave Moscow.

For his part, at the G20 Summit on November 22, Russian President Putin rejected criticism of his campaign in Ukraine. He said Russia has never refused to hold peace talks with Ukraine.

In his opinion, Ukraine will not negotiate. “It is not Russia, but Ukraine that has publicly announced its withdrawal from the negotiation process. Moreover, a decree of the Head of State of Ukraine has been signed prohibiting such negotiations with Russia,” he said.

The Russian president also noted that the G20 was created to find solutions to pressing international economic and social problems. He said such a unified approach was necessary. “Especially since attempts at confrontation in various forms continue,” he said.

The Russian leader also discussed the conflict in Gaza, asking whether his G20 colleagues were shocked by the deaths of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the online G20 Summit, November 22, 2023, at the Moscow end. Photo: Sputnik

Mr Putin also used the summit to pinpoint the West's fault for the problems of the global economy.

According to a Kremlin transcript of Putin’s speech, the Russian president said that trillions of dollars and euros had been injected into the world economy, partly to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this had led to global inflation and rising food and energy prices, with poor countries in particular suffering.

Western countries say Russia’s war with Ukraine has caused inflation. Mr Putin rejects that argument. “It’s not our actions and efforts to achieve justice in Ukraine. No! It’s the actions of the world’s largest economies,” he said.

The Kremlin leader complained that economic competition was now unfair after Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine led to disruptions to Russia's transport and logistics links and blocked payment transactions.

Mr Putin also described the explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year, which remain unsolved, as acts of state terrorism .

Minh Duc (According to Anadolu Agency, DPA/Bellingham Herald, TASS)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/thu-tuong-duc-ong-putin-phai-lang-nghe-cac-lanh-dao-phuong-tay-noi-a637350.html