VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM), which is being held in Bali on July 7 and 8, 2022, may offer Russia a chance to share its views on the conflict with Ukraine, an international relations observer has said.

"Russia has its own formula to solve food issues. In fact, it (the G20 FMM) offers Russia a chance to show the world that Russia is a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem," Teuku Rezasyah of Padjadjaran University (Unpad) said on Thursday.

Russia has come under the spotlight for its invasion of Ukraine since February 2022. The invasion has sparked global food and energy crises due to the disruption of Ukrainian cereal exports and Russian gas exports to Europe.

Attending the G20 FMM in person, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will likely use the momentum to explain his country's policy for ensuring food and energy supplies, Rezasyah said.

G20 must give Russia a chance and the freedom to convey its views as President Vladimir Putin has vowed to withdraw his soldiers from Ukraine, he added.

The G20 must use approaches that are different from the G7, which opted to impose sanctions and bans on Russian products, he said.

Through the G20 FMM, Russia has a chance to hold dialogues with G20 members such as Germany, Spain, and Italy, which have been affected by the disruption of Russian gas supplies, he added.

In this regard, Indonesia, which is holding the G20 presidency this year, is playing a great role in facilitating the dialogue between Russia and other G20 members, he said.

Earlier, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had said that he will urge G20 countries to pressure Russia into supporting UN's effort to reopen sea lanes, which have been blocked due to the war in Ukraine.

Blinken is also said to have reiterated his warning to China against assisting Russia in the war.  (Antaranews)