Zelensky criticizes Brazil, G20 leaders for showing 'weak position on war'

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President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Group of 20 (G20) leaders on Nov. 23 following the most recent summit in Brazil, adding that Brazilian President Lula da Silva, the current holder of the G20 Presidency, showed a "weak position" on Russia's war in Ukraine.

The group, which includes Russia among its members, also includes a number of countries who have contributed to Russia's economic development throughout its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including China and India.

Despite ongoing divisions among G20 nations regarding the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, negotiators managed to reach a consensus on a final communiqué that broadly condemned the human suffering caused by both wars.

The G20 summit’s final communiqué devotes just one paragraph to the war in Ukraine, a stark contrast to the seven paragraphs in last year’s declaration from New Delhi. This year’s statement omits any condemnation of nuclear threats tied to Ukraine or appeals to halt attacks on food and energy infrastructure.

The statement has faced criticism for its weak stance on Russia, avoiding a direct condemnation of its actions in Ukraine. The world’s major economies used ambiguous language, merely referencing the "human suffering" caused by the war and stopping short of directly naming Russia.

"If we want good, normal relations between our nations, between our peoples, then, we should probably support people first, not aggressors, leaders of aggression in the world, like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, like today's modern Russia," Zelensky said.

Zelensky added that a lack of a strong, unified condemnation by G20 leaders led Putin to strike Ukraine with new weapons, including Russia's use of the new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) against Dnipro on Nov. 21.

"Without a clear stance from major countries – the United States, Brazil, Asian and African states – agreements with Putin will amount to mere stalling tactics and further intimidation by Russia," the Presidential Office wrote in a news release.