Ottawa, March 31, 2022 (AFP) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that Russia should not attend the next G20 meeting, because it cannot be considered a “constructive partner”.
“I don’t believe we can sit with Russia at the table,” explained Trudeau, who said he had spoken on the matter with the Indonesian president, who is in charge of this year’s G20.
“It makes no sense to discuss world economic growth, if the country responsible for most of the inconveniences is on the table,” he added.
The decision fell on the G20 itself, made to promote dialogue between the former industrial powers of the G7 and major developing economies, such as China, Brazil and Russia.
“It makes sense that Vladimir Putin won’t be present this year. Long-term expulsions, there needs to be discussions about that,” Trudeau said.
US President Joe Biden last week put forward a call to exclude Russia from the G20, a country that was already excluded from the G8 – now the G7 – following the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Indonesia, in turn, announced that it would remain “impartial”, while China recommended that Putin attend the group’s meeting, which takes place at the end of the year.
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