Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that Russia should not be at the next G20 meeting because that country cannot be considered a “constructive partner.”
“I don’t think we can sit with Russia around the table,” explained Trudeau, who said he had discussed the issue with the Indonesian president who chairs the G20 this year.
“There is no point in having a discussion about global economic growth if the country responsible for a large part of the problems is at the table,” Trudeau added.
The decision rests with the G20 itself, created to promote dialogue between the old industrial powers of the G7 and the giants of emerging economies such as China, Brazil and even Russia.
“It is logical that Vladimir Putin will not run this year. The long-term expulsion, there should be a discussion about that,” Trudeau stressed.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, called last week to exclude Russia from the G20, a country already expelled from the G8 – now G7 – after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Indonesia, which chairs the G20, said it would remain “impartial” while China supports Putin taking his place at the group’s meeting at the end of the year.
