The EU says it will maintain its position on Russia’s war at the G20 even if Putin attends

The European Union will maintain at the G20 its position of condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine regardless of the participants at the meeting, the European Commission said amid discussions about Vladimir Putin’s possible participation in the next leaders’ summit.

Russia remains a member of the G20 and has the right to participate in the group’s meetings, including at ministerial and leaders’ level, the Commission stated. Brussels nevertheless says that this status does not change how the Union intends to use the forum in relation to the war in Ukraine.

In briefThe Commission says that Russia remains a member of the G20 and has the right to participate in ministerial and leaders’ meetings.

The EU says it will continue to use G20 meetings to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, regardless of the participants present.

The Commission did not specify whether Ursula von der Leyen would agree to participate in the same ceremonial moments as Vladimir Putin if he were present.

Brussels has offered no position on the idea of a possible meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G20.

The Commission says that any decisions regarding participation, meetings and the summit’s format must first become sufficiently concrete to be commented on.

Commission spokesperson Olof Gill explained that the G20 remains an important forum for managing global challenges and that the European Union has used the group’s meetings since 2022 to condemn the Russian invasion and call for its cessation.

He said that this approach will continue regardless of the meeting’s composition. The position expressed by the Commission thus separates two distinct issues: Russia’s right, as a G20 member, to participate in meetings, and the political position that the European Union intends to uphold at them.

However, the Commission avoided establishing in advance what the concrete interactions between European leaders and Putin would look like if he participated. Asked whether Ursula von der Leyen would be willing to be physically in the same room as the Russian leader and whether European representatives would take part in an official photograph alongside him, the Commission representative replied that he could not say more at this time and that his position could be clarified as the situation develops.

Brussels also declined to discuss scenarios involving a possible trilateral meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G20.

The question addressed to the Commission stemmed from the idea of organizing such a meeting and the possibility that the European Union might be involved, given the sanctions imposed on Russia and its role in supporting Ukraine.

However, the Commission described the scenario as an idea that has not yet materialized into a concrete format. The European executive said it could have a more detailed position if additional information emerged regarding a possible meeting.

The position presented at the briefing should therefore not be interpreted as confirmation of Putin’s participation, of a meeting with Trump and Zelenskyy, or of a particular diplomatic format. The Commission responded exclusively regarding how the Union would approach a G20 meeting if Russia participated.

Brussels also cited the continuation of Russian attacks on Ukraine to explain the maintenance of the European position. Gill said that the EU would continue to condemn the Russian invasion within the G20 and call for an end to the war.

Until the summit’s composition and any meetings are established, the position announced by the Commission thus concerns the Union’s conduct within the G20, not the concrete format of any possible interaction with Vladimir Putin.

Until the summit’s composition and any meetings are established, the position announced by the Commission thus concerns the Union’s conduct within the G20, not the concrete format of any possible interaction with Vladimir Putin.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/ue-spune-ca-isi-va-mentine-pozitia-fata-de-razboiul-rusiei-la-g20-chiar-daca-putin-participa