As of: February 23, 2024, 5:14 a.m
By: Stefan Krieger
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The G20 foreign ministers meet in Rio de Janeiro.
Annalena Baerbock meets Sergei Lavrov and finds clear words for Russia's representative.
“The world will not forget”: Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock counters Vladimir Putin
Brazil's President
Lula
: Comparing Israeli military operations with the Holocaust
In our news ticker we provide information about the G20 meeting of foreign ministers in Brazil.
Update from February 21st, 9:42 p.m.:
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confronted her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov at the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers.
“If you care about human lives, if you care about your own people, Russian children and young people, you must end this war now,” said the Green politician in reference to the war in Ukraine.
According to information from the dpa
news agency, Lavrov sat
only a few seats next to Baerbock at the meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
The German Foreign Minister criticized “Russia’s aggression” against Ukraine.
She also called on the other members of the group to take a stand against Russia and “resolutely defend the basic principles that protect us all.”
With her direct words, Annalena Baerbock took advantage of an almost rare opportunity to address Lavrov personally.
When the two last met at the Ministerial Conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in November 2023, Lavrov left the room during Baerbock's speech.
Here, too, she called on Russia to end the war in Ukraine and told Lavrov in his absence: As at other meetings, he was obviously only in the room “when he speaks himself, but not to listen to others.”
And Lavrov was no longer present for Baerbock's speech at the G20 ministerial meeting in 2022.
Annalena Baerbock has her eye on Sergei Lavrov at the G20 meeting of Russian Foreign Ministers.
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
Baerbock counters Putin at the G20 meeting: “The world will not forget”
First report from February 21, 2024: Rio de Janeiro - Almost two years after the Russian attack on Ukraine, the foreign ministers of the leading economic nations are meeting in Brazil.
The talks take place against the backdrop of global crises.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will also be taking part in the G20 summit in Rio from Wednesday (February 21).
Before departing for Brazil, Baerbock recalled Russian President Vladimir Putin's responsibility for the global consequences of the Ukraine war.
“If Putin believes that after two years the world will eventually forget who is responsible for the war in Ukraine and its dramatic global consequences, he is wrong,” said the Green politician on Tuesday.
“We will never abandon the basic principles of the United Nations and stand firmly by Ukraine’s side – for as long as necessary and until its people can live in peace and freedom again,” the Federal Foreign Minister added to Putin.
The members of the G20 countries
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
China
Germany
France
Great Britain
India
Indonesia
Italy
Japan
Canada
Mexico
Russia
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
South Korea
Türkiye
USA
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Baerbock before the G20 meeting: humanity versus the right of the strongest
Baerbock further emphasized: “We counteract the nefariousness of actors like the Russian government, who are only concerned with the law of the strongest, with our humanity and our commitment to international law.” The whole world benefits “if everyone adheres to it abide by the rules that we have agreed upon together.”
It is also planned that Baerbock will also hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
The situation in the Middle East and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine are likely to play an important role.
Following the G20 foreign ministers' meeting, Baerbock wants to travel on to New York, where Ukraine will be discussed in the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Security Council on Friday.
In addition to the situation in Ukraine, the war in Israel and the impending conflagration in the Middle East are also likely to play an important role at the G20 meeting.
The humanitarian situation of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip will also be discussed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected in Rio.
In addition to Germany, France and the USA, the group also includes Russia and China, among others.
The G20 represents around 80 percent of the world's economic power and 60 percent of the world's population.
Brazil currently holds the presidency.
Brazil advocates for peace negotiations in the Ukraine war at the G20
Host Brazil has long advocated for peace negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced that he will use the G20 presidency to further peace efforts and invite Putin to the summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Lula did not want to take a position on the issue of the international arrest warrant against the Russian.
“Will he be arrested if he comes?
May be, may not be.
The judiciary will decide that,” Lula said recently.
In contrast to Russia and the USA, Brazil is one of the parties to the Rome Statute to the International Criminal Court, which issued the arrest warrant.
Brazilian President Lula criticized for Holocaust comparison
Lula advocates a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.
This means an independent Palestinian state that exists peacefully side by side with Israel.
He did condemn the massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations on October 7th in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip.
However, Lula also criticized Israel's reaction in the Gaza Strip as excessive due to the numerous civilian casualties.
Last weekend, Lula compared the Israeli military operation to the Holocaust.
“What is happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza has never happened at any other time in history.
“In fact, it already happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” he said at the African Union summit.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz then said that unless Lula apologized and retracted his statement, he would not be welcome in Israel.
(with agency material)