At the G20 summit in Bali, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told world leaders that Russia’s war must end immediately.
In addition, he argued for an extension of a key grain export agreement that was soon to expire.
Mr. Zelensky delivered a video message to the assembled leaders on the Indonesian island.
Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia and a member of the G20, declined to attend and instead sent Sergei Lavrov, his foreign minister.
In his speech, which was first reported by AFP, Mr. Zelensky stated, “I am convinced that the destructive Russian war must and can be stopped now.”
Among the solutions he suggested were maintaining nuclear and food safety, halting hostilities and preventing escalation.
He regularly referred to the leaders as the “G19,” omitting Russia.
Chief among his requests was an extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which the United Nations and Russia established in July.
It has ensured that food exports previously obstructed at Ukrainian ports by Russian warships can now be transported.
The United Nations reports that 10 million tonnes of grain and other food have been exported successfully since the beginning of the agreement, preventing a global food crisis.
However, the offer expires on November 19th. Mr. Zelensky stated on Tuesday at a G20 session on food and energy security that the agreement should be extended indefinitely “regardless of when the war ends.”
“The right to food is a fundamental human right,” he said, proposing to expand the agreement to include other ports in the Mykolaiv region.
Russia stated on Saturday that no extension agreement had been reached.
In exchange for allowing Ukraine to export food, Russia has demanded that Western sanctions be lifted so that it can export its food and fertilizers to international markets without restriction.
As winter approaches, Mr. Zelensky also accused Russia of attempting to “turn the cold into a weapon against millions of people” by bombing vital Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
He requested additional military aid from Ukraine’s allies as well as price restrictions on Russian energy exports that would prevent Russia from profiting from them.
If Russia is attempting to deprive Ukraine, Europe, and all energy consumers in the world of predictability and price stability, then Russia’s export prices should be constrained… That is just. If you remove something, others have the right to take it from you “he said.
Russia has shut down the largest gas pipeline to Europe, Nord Stream 1, and delayed the opening of a second pipeline. To wean itself off Russian energy, the West has reduced its consumption of Russian gas and oil.
