KIGALI, Rwanda –
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau headed to the G7 summit in Germany on Saturday without consensus from the British community to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but with a chorus of countries calling for help to overcome the effects of the war.
Trudeau and Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie arrived in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, on Wednesday for a meeting of the heads of government of the British Commonwealth, which was dominated by the concerns of nations suffering from food shortages. Trudeau left for the G-7 meeting during the day.
In the final communiqué of the British Community Summit, the 54 participating states said they had discussed the conflict in Ukraine, “stressing the need to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states” and “stressing that all countries must seek peace settlement of all disputes in accordance with international law. “
The parties did not condemn Russia, as Trudeau and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson did during the summit.
“I can assure you that the topic of defending Ukraine has been much discussed,” Trudeau told a news conference after the summit, citing the “strong language” of the communiqué.
Most nations in the British Commonwealth condemned Russia’s actions in the UN vote in March, but 10 abstained. Among them was India, whose prime minister Narendra Modi chose not to attend the British community summit and instead spoke virtually to the leaders of Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa.
Trudeau said Russian President Vladimir Putin had run a disinformation campaign and even “told outright lies”, including blaming the food security crisis on Western sanctions against Russia.
He said the food shortage stemmed from Russia’s illegal actions, including the blockade of key ports, as well as the deliberate targeting of Ukrainian grain warehouses by cruise missile strikes.
“I was very clear with our friends and partners around the table and not only about Russia’s responsibility, but also about how Canada and the West are getting stronger,” Trudeau said.
Canada will raise the growing threat of famine at the G7 at Schloss Elmau Germany, Jolie said.
She said Canada was in a “listening mode” at meetings of the British community, where leaders of smaller nations could speak without the dominant presence of the United States, Russia and China.
“What is clear to us is that Russia is arming food and taxing many countries around the world and putting 50 million lives at risk,” Jolie told reporters in Rwanda on Friday.
Trudeau tried to meet with African Union Commission President Musa Faki Mahamat for several days during the British Community summit, but the meeting was repeatedly postponed and eventually canceled.
Shortly after Trudeau arrived in Rwanda, the government announced that Canada would dedicate a new ambassador to the African Union who had suffered from food shortages caused to the continent as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Both Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Putin met with representatives of the African Union, with Russia blaming sanctions on its government for halting the flow of grain.
At the end of the British Community Summit, Trudeau announced $ 94 million to fund various educational initiatives and $ 120 million to support gender equality and women’s rights in the British Commonwealth.
Some of the other voices the prime minister has promised to focus on in his international meetings, including the G7 summit,
belong to youth leaders who spoke at a Saturday morning event focused on the issues facing young people around the world.
Some delegates spoke about the devastating effects of climate change, especially around remote island states, where infrastructure cannot withstand natural disasters and recovery efforts take years. The offensive is affecting education and health services, a forum delegate said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 25, 2022.
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