Rishi Sunak has called on Vladimir Putin to end the “barbaric” war in Ukraine in a hard-hitting G20 summit speech delivered while Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov listened on.
Addressing the opening session at the gathering in Bali, the Prime Minister urged Russian troops to “get out of Ukraine” and said the UK would stand by Kyiv “for as long as it takes”.
Mr Sunak also singled out the “weaponisation” of energy and food exports by the Kremlin, which he dubbed “totally unacceptable”.
A photograph from the meeting posted online by Number 10 showed Mr Sunak staring at Mr Lavrov, who is attending the gathering in Mr Putin’s place.
Mr Sunak said of Ukraine: “One man has the power to change all of this. It is notable that Putin didn’t feel able to join us here. Maybe if he had, we could get on with sorting things out.
“Because the single biggest difference that anyone could make is for Russia to get out of Ukraine and end this barbaric war. That would be transformative for Ukraine, but for the world.
“The UK rejects this aggression. We will back Ukraine for as long as it takes and support peace on the basis of the UN Charter.
“And we will work constructively with the rest of the G20 to preserve the international order, because that is our collective responsibility.”
The gathering was also addressed via video by Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, who said it was now time to end Russia’s “destructive” war.
“I am convinced now is the time when the Russian destructive war must and can be stopped,” Mr Zelensky said, according to a speech obtained by AFP. “It will save thousands of lives.”
Wearing an army green T-shirt and speaking in Ukrainian, Mr Zelensky addressed leaders including China’s Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden.
Mr Zelensky criticised “the crazy threats of nuclear weapons that Russian officials resort to”. He also thanked the “G19” for their support, leaving out Russia.
Putin’s delegate, Mr Lavrov, remained in his seat throughout Zelensky’s address, two diplomatic sources told AFP.
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Joko Widodo, the Indonesian President, also used his opening message as the summit began to urge world leaders to end the war in Ukraine.
Mr Widodo said: “Being responsible means creating not zero-sum situations, being responsible here also means that we must end the war. If the war does not end, it will be difficult for the world to move forward.”
Mr Sunak, still just three weeks into his premiership, took aim at the Kremlin in the first plenary session at the G20 world summit.
Mr Sunak said: “Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has profound implications for us all, because it has undermined the fundamental principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“We all depend on these principles. They are the foundations of the international order. They must be upheld.
“It is very simple – countries should not invade their neighbours, they should not attack civilian infrastructure and civilian populations and they should not threaten nuclear escalation.
“Surely these are things on which we can all agree.”
He also called for the so-called “Black Sea Grain Initiative”, an agreement with Russia that sees grain from Ukraine safely exported despite the war, to restart after it collapsed.
Mr Sunak said: “Two thirds of Ukraine’s grain goes to developing countries, yet Russia has destroyed grain stores and blocked shipments.
“It is harming the most vulnerable people around the world. And this has nothing to do with sanctions.”
