The US wants to avoid legitimizing Russia’s actions at the G20 meeting

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Bali for the G20 summit

By David Branstrom

TOKYO (Reuters) – The United States is determined to prevent anything happening at this week’s G20 meeting in Bali that could legitimize Russia’s “brutality” in Ukraine, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Thursday.

The official said the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, which formally begins on Thursday and runs through Friday, will be a good opportunity to advance efforts to address the global food security crisis. without interruption.

“The most important thing is that we are focused on the G20 event,” said the source, who accompanied US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a brief stopover in Tokyo en route to Indonesia.

“We are very determined to do this and there should be no disruptions or interruptions,” he added.

“But I believe we want to make sure that we do not in any way legitimize what Russia is doing in brutalizing Ukraine.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will face a face-to-face meeting with staunch critics of Moscow’s invasion for the first time this year, suggesting he is less likely to withdraw.