Ukraine war dominates G20 meeting

STEFANI REYNOLDS/ POOL/ AFP

G20 host Indonesia urged the group's foreign ministers on Friday to help end the war in Ukraine, as Russia's top diplomat accused the West of scuppering a chance to tackle global economic issues with "frenzied" criticism of the conflict.

The gathering in Bali was dominated by the war and its impact on food security and energy, and it was discussed in almost all bilateral meetings, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in remarks after the talks finished.

It was not immediately clear from Retno's briefing whether any agreements had been reached during the meeting.

At the start of the day's events, shouts of "When will you stop the war" and "Why don't you stop the war" were heard as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shook hands with Retno upon his arrival.

Lavrov said ministers from Western nations "strayed almost immediately, as soon as they took the floor, to the frenzied criticism of the Russian Federation in connection with the situation in Ukraine".

"Aggressors', 'invaders', 'occupiers' - we heard a lot of things today," Lavrov told reporters after the first session of the talks, where he was seated between representatives from Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

Russia calls the war a "special military operation" to degrade the Ukrainian military and root out people it calls dangerous nationalists.

Ukraine and its Western backers say Russia is engaged in an imperial-style land grab with no justification for its invasion.

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