Russia's G20 membership under fire as Biden heads for Nato meet

US President Joe Biden flew to Europe on Wednesday for an emergency Nato summit on Ukraine, where invading Russian troops are stalled, cities are under bombardment and the besieged port of Mariupol is in flames.
 

The US and its allies would consult whether Russia should remain within the G-20 grouping of major economies after its invasion of Ukraine, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, underlining that it “cannot be business as usual” for Moscow.
 

“We believe that it cannot be business as usual for Russia in international institutions and in the international community,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House news conference when asked about Russia’s membership of G-20.
 

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to attend the next G20 summit in Indonesia later this year and received valuable backing from Beijing on Wednesday in a pushback to suggestions by some members that Russia could be barred from the group.

China, which has not condemned Russia’s invasion and criticised Western sanctions, defended Moscow on Wednesday, calling Russia an “important member” of the G20. “No member has the right to remove another country as a member.

 

The G20 should implement real multilateralism, strengthen unity and cooperation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news briefing. While refusing to rule out the use of nuclear weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that if there is an existential threat for Russia, the country can use the nukes.
 

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, when asked under what conditions Putin would use Russia’s nuclear capability, Peskov replied, “if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be,” reported CNN News.
 

The Biden administration is preparing sanctions on most members of Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, and the president intends to announce the sanctions during his trip to Europe.
 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to address a special NATO summit on Thursday discussing the Russian invasion of his country, an official said. “This will be an opportunity for allied leaders to hear directly from President Zelenskyy about the dire situation facing the people of Ukraine because of Russia’s aggression,”  a NATO official said.
 

More Nato troops likely for eastern flank: Stoltenberg

Nato will likely decide on Thursday to ramp up military forces on its eastern flank, the head of the alliance Jens Stoltenberg said, while also warning Russia against using nuclear weapons after its February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

Nato has sharply increased its presence at the eastern border of the alliance, with some 40,000 troops spread from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and is seeking to deploy four new combat units in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia.