Penny Wong to hammer Russia over its ‘illegal, immoral war’

Australia will use its seat at the G20 foreign ministers’ table to hammer Russia over its ‘illegal, unjust and immoral war in Ukraine’ rather than walk out of the meeting, Penny Wong says.

Penny Wong in Bali on Thursday. Picture: AFP

Australia will use its seat at the G20 foreign ministers’ table to hammer Russia over its “illegal, unjust and immoral war in Ukraine” that has plunged the world into a new era of food insecurity, rather than make a statement by walking out of the meeting, Penny Wong said on Thursday.

A day ahead of the Bali talks, Anthony Albanese also flagged his intention to treat Vladimir Putin with the “contempt he deserves” if the Russian President attends the November G20 leaders’ summit in person.

“I think if he does attend the G20 (leaders’) summit, which I doubt he will, the world needs to send a very clear message about how we regard him and his behaviour … in undermining the rules-based order,” the Prime Minister told Sky News.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong flew into Bali on Thursday where she said Western nations would be “making very clear collectively our views about Russia’s position and behaviour” during the G20 ministerial talks at which the need to stabilise global food and energy supplies are expected to top the agenda.

“If you ever wanted an example of a nation which has chosen to denigrate and weaken multi­lateralism, if you ever wanted an example of a nation that’s ­demonstrated its disregard for the need for food security for a world recovering from a pandemic, it is Russia and its persistent refusal to comply with the UN charter and inter­national law and its illegal, immoral invasion of Ukraine,” Senator Wong said. “We will be ­attending the meeting. We certainly intend to use the meeting as opposed to leave the meeting … to highlight what I’ve just outlined.”

Friday’s meeting will be the first time foreign ministers from some of the world’s top economies meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in person since Moscow ­invaded Ukraine in February.

Ukrainian, British, French and Canadian officials walked out on Russian representatives during a G20 finance meeting in Washington in April but the US State ­Department has said Secretary of State Antony Blinken would be an active participant at Friday’s talks while making clear “it cannot be business as usual with the Russian Federation”.

India and G20 host Indonesia – both non-aligned countries that have avoided condemning Moscow’s aggression – said on Thursday they would also press Russia to end the war, and use the meeting to highlight the importance of ­reintegrating food and energy ­exports from Ukraine and Russia back into global supply chains, following bilateral talks between the two countries’ foreign ministers.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmyto Kuleba will address Friday’s meeting by video link at ­the invitation of Indonesia, which is desperate to avoid a boycott of G20 events by Western nations.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited both Kyiv and Moscow last week to try to broker a settlement that would end Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian grain exports amid fears of food shortages at home and across the developing world.

Senator Wong said it would be an important moment “to have Ukraine speak to the G20 in front of all of us, including Russia, about the effect on its people … of the consequences of the invasion”.

The Foreign Minister has a busy schedule of bilateral meetings around the G20 talks, following a visit to Singapore where she called once again for China to use its influence with Russia to end its war on Ukraine.

Senator Wong will meet China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20, ending an almost three year-long diplomatic freeze between Australia and the Asian superpower.

Mr Wang met Mr Lavrov under tight security on Thursday at a hotel away from the official Bali venue, where Chinese delegation members harangued local media representatives and demanded they delete pictures of the Chinese Foreign Minister.

Senator Wong’s first meeting on Thursday was with Fijian ­President Frank Bainimarama to discuss the Pacific Island Forum foreign ministers’ meeting, which is also scheduled for tomorrow and which she hoped to attend ­virtually.

Additional reporting: Dian Septiari