Many delegates left a meeting of the International Monetary Fund's steering committee on Saturday when Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov spoke. The walkout came amid deep divisions at the Bangkok annual meetings and new tensions between the US and Ukraine.
Many delegates to the IMF steering committee walked out of a meeting on Saturday when Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov addressed the group in Russian, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
One of the sources said members of the European Union were among the delegations that left. A second official in the room said nearly a dozen delegates left, including delegates from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
One European diplomat put it this way: "The Ukraine war is existential for us in Europe," the diplomat said, adding that Europe cannot normalize relations with Russia.
Divisions over Russia's place at the table
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has roiled the International Monetary and Financial Committee, preventing it from reaching consensus statements in the years since. This week's meetings in Bangkok again showed deep divisions.
Germany on Thursday warned against efforts to bring Russia back on to the international stage after Siluanov attended a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers. However, US Treasury Undersecretary Erin Browne told Reuters the same day that Washington, the current leader of the G20, supported Russia's presence despite European concerns.
Browne argued that solving a crisis requires open dialogue and that resolution is impossible if no one is talking.
US-Ukraine tensions add to the strain
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking at a European Union summit on Friday, criticized US President Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia. EU leaders rallied around him after Trump again criticised Ukraine over its strikes on Russian refineries.
The summit came as missiles and drones hit Ukrainian cities, with fears that the US could pull back intelligence sharing and weapons support from Kyiv.
Source: Reuters via Investing.com
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
