Canada’s Trudeau laments weakened G20 statement on Ukraine conflict

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – A watered-down G20 statement on the Russian war in Ukraine would have been much stronger if Canada had its way, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday.

Other countries – he did not name names – held views differing from Canada and that swayed the statement to be more muted than he would have liked, Trudeau said at a press conference in India, where leaders gathered for the G20 Summit ending Sunday.

"If it was just up to me, it would have been stronger," he said. "This is an important time to come together and put pressure on countries that do not align with our values," he said. "In that, we will continue to do that."

The statement was weaker than the one the G20 made last year in which the countries criticized Russia for aggression in Ukraine and called for Moscow’s immediate withdrawal.

This year, the statement did not mention Russia by name, simply saying “all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition….”

It did call for “immediate and unimpeded” deliveries of grain and fertilizer to Ukraine from Russia, as well as an end to attacks on infrastructure.

Meanwhile, a statement from Trudeau’s office left little doubt where Canada stood on the Russian staged elections held on the weekend in a bid to tighten Moscow’s hold on illegally seized territory – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Trudeau said Canada will not recognize the "sham" elections held by Russia in Ukraine.

“…Canada will never recognize the results of the ongoing sham elections held by Russia in Ukraine, which are nothing but a cynical attempt to legitimize military conquest under the guise of democracy,” the statement read.

Trudeau was expected to depart India Sunday but he and his delegation were forced to remain as the Canadian military found a mechanical problem that could not be fixed overnight, CTV News reported.