During the opening session of the G20 summit on Saturday, Russia sharply criticised the sanctions and asset freezes imposed after its invasion of Ukraine, calling them “unlawful and one-sided measures.”
Maxim Oreshkin, deputy chief of staff of the Russian Presidential Executive Office, also took aim at financial support given to Ukraine. He argued that global financial bodies “are shifting away from development funding and moving toward military spending.”
“Most of the money ends up flowing back into Western economies and, in many cases, through corrupt networks in Ukraine. The World Bank alone has given Ukraine more support in three years than it has to all African nations combined,” Oreshkin said.
He is heading the Russian delegation because President Vladimir Putin did not attend. Putin faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over alleged forced deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia, meaning he could be detained if he entered South Africa.
Oreshkin further claimed that the current global economic system is facing a breakdown and no longer reflects emerging geopolitical and economic realities.
His comments come at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is proposing a contentious peace deal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
According to a draft of the plan, Trump’s proposal would hand some territory to Russia and place restrictions on the size of Ukraine’s military.
