It’s a head-on clash of narratives. Ukraine will be in the background of the G20 in Bali, where exchanges are likely to be particularly tense. For the first time since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Russia, through the voice of the head of its diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, speaks before the main powers of the planet to justify its military intervention in its neighbour.
On the western side, it is not a summit like the others, it is not “business as usual”, warns the Quai d’Orsay. Already in Brussels, we anticipate that Moscow will use this summit “as a platform for its propaganda”, said Josep Borrel, the head of European diplomacy. Western countries pressured Indonesia not to invite Russia to Bali. In vain. But Jakarta, in exchange, invited Ukraine, which is not yet part of the G20.
In the Western camp, there was no question of boycotting this meeting, because the role of the G20 is precisely to settle international crises. France is represented there by the boss of the Quai d’Orsay, Catherine Colonna, who does not intend to meet her Russian counterpart, nor even to pose with him for a possible family photo.
Westerners want to hammer home that Vladimir Putin’s Russia is solely responsible for the food and energy crisis that is disrupting the global economy. Even in the dock, Moscow’s isolation is relative. The presence in itself of Sergei Lavrov in Bali is already a success for Russian diplomacy.
But above all, most emerging countries, starting with Indonesia which is hosting this G20 meeting, but also India, China, South Africa and even Saudi Arabia, are not on the hard line. of Westerners. All these countries have not imposed sanctions against Moscow and consider that the conflict in Ukraine is not their war. Some of them, which have developed intense military and economic cooperation with Russia, like India for example, have no intention of breaking with Moscow.
Today is therefore the first round of the showdown between Westerners and Russia, which can therefore count on strong support. See you for the second round next November at the G20 in Bali, this time in the presence of heads of state, and with, who knows, Vladimir Putin around the table.