Russia’s war a breach of trust, says Penny Wong
Penny Wong has accused Russia of a ‘profound breach of trust’ and said it must be held to account over its invasion of Ukraine before a meeting with her Chinese counterpart.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has accused Russia of a “profound breach of trust’’ and said it must be held to account over its invasion of Ukraine before a meeting with her Chinese counterpart aimed at stabilising China-Australia relations.
Addressing a G20 foreign ministers meeting in Bali, Senator Wong delivered the uncompromising message to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over Moscow’s aggression after earlier this week calling on China to help end the war in Ukraine.
Mr Lavrov hit back, saying Australia had “ignored” the reality of the situation in Ukraine and accusing G20 nations of “rabid Russophobia”.
Senator Wong’s latest comments came hours ahead of Australia’s first bilateral meeting with China in almost three years that was due to take place with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 meeting late on Friday.
Her comments came after a warning from Mr Wang to G20 nations against linking Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with Beijing’s threats to Taiwan.
“It is obviously double standards. Beijing rejects any attempt to compare the Ukraine crisis with the Taiwan question and will firmly safeguard its core interests,” Mr Wang said.
Australia has repeatedly called on Beijing to use its influence with Russia as a “no limits” partner to help end the war that China has refused to condemn, and Beijing’s position on the war loomed as one of a host of disagreements on the crowded agenda for the meeting.
Others included Beijing’s trade coercion of Australia and the continued detention on national security charges of Chinese Australians Cheng Lei and Dr Yang Hengjun.
Senator Wong sought to temper expectations of a breakthrough during the talks, saying she was aiming instead to “stabilise” ties. “I use the phrase stabilise and I think that gives you an indication of the approach we are taking,” she said.
Anthony Albanese last week said Vladimir Putin’s failed bid to take Ukraine showed “attempts to impose change by force on a sovereign country meets resistance”, prompting a scathing editorial in the China Daily warning that high hopes of a reset in bilateral relations were “diminishing by the day”.
As expected, Mr Lavrov came under sustained attack from foreign ministers of Western nations and Ukraine over its invasion.
Senator Wong warned the world would “descend into chaos” if disputes were settled by size and power alone, “instead of by agreed rules and norms”.
“Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal invasion of Ukraine is not only the cause of untold loss of life and damage. It is not only a primary cause of the global energy and food security crisis wreaking havoc on our economies and pushing millions more of the world’s people into severe food insecurity. It is also a profound breach of trust,” Senator Wong told the G20 ministers.
“And it is up to all nations to hold this breach to account, or the cost will be borne by all of us. This is why Russia’s aggression cannot be normalised and it cannot be minimised.
“Russia is not only trying to decide the fate of Ukraine. It is, in fact, trying to decide the fate of the international system. We have all benefited from the multilateral system. We all will pay the price if we allow it to falter.”
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, the meeting’s host, also appealed to G20 nations to “safeguard multilateralism” as the best means of tackling the global food and energy crisis triggered by the pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“It’s our responsibility to end the war sooner rather than later and settle our differences at the negotiating table, not the battlefield,” she said during the talks, the first time some of the world’s top economies have met Mr Lavrov in person since Russia’s February invasion.
Mr Lavrov hit back at Australia’s criticism at an impromptu press conference after leaving the meeting early, saying Canberra should do its homework on the reasons for his country’s invasion of Ukraine before condemning its actions.
“If Australia is so much concerned about what is going on thousands and thousands of kilometres from Australia, before providing any comments I would suggest that Australia takes a look at volumes of documents, which describe the reasons for the situation in Ukraine as it is evolved now,” Mr Lavrov told The Weekend Australian.
“I am sure that Australia, before commenting on anything as a responsible country, normally looks into effects. And I have no slightest doubt that your embassy in Moscow faithfully reports what they learn about the origins of this conflict which was evolving for many, many years.”
Russia has denied it is at war with Ukraine, instead referring to its invasion as a “special military operation” to “de-Nazify” a country which it claims – without evidence – has committed genocide of native Russians.
On Friday, Mr Lavrov also accused Western nations of “rabid Russophobia” and Western G20 foreign ministers of “frenzied” criticism of Russia that derailed any chance of tackling pressing global economic issues.
The West’s discussion “strayed almost immediately, as soon as they took the floor, to the frenzied criticism of the Russian Federation in connection with the situation in Ukraine”.
“Aggressors, invaders, occupiers – we heard a lot of things today,” he said.
As this year’s G20 chair, Indonesia has repeatedly urged the group to address the global food and energy crisis, inviting UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres to address the meeting from New York on Friday where he warned of a real risk of “multiple famines” this year and next as a result of the war.
Mr Putin told Indonesian President Joko Widodo during his visit to Moscow last week that he was ready to help smooth the passage of global grain and fertiliser exports – a message Mr Lavrov repeated in Bali on Friday.
Additional reporting: Dian Septiari
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