The Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated Thursday that the government of President Jair Bolsonaro was “clearly opposed” to the idea of excluding Russia from the G20, as suggested in particular by the United States.
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“We have seen the emergence of initiatives in various international bodies aimed at expelling Russia from these entities or suspending its participation. Brazil has clearly opposed it (…) in accordance with our traditional position in favor of multilateralism and international law”, declared Carlos França in front of the Senate during a debate on the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
“The most important thing at the moment would be that all these forums, the G20, the WTO, the FAO are fully operational. And for them to function fully, all countries, including Russia, should be present,” he added.
United States President Joe Biden called on Thursday to exclude Russia from the G20, a country that was already expelled from the G8 – now the G7 – after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
But he acknowledged that the decision was up to the G20 itself, a format created to promote dialogue between the old industrial powers of the G7, and emerging economic giants such as China, Brazil and Russia.
Indonesia, which chairs the G20, said Thursday that it would remain “impartial”, while China has already estimated that Vladimir Putin should have his place at the summit scheduled for the end of the year.