Expanded Trillionaires Club Tones Down Disgust with Russian War Against Ukraine

The expanded G-20 group of global economic high rollers, at their recently concluded 2023 summit in New Delhi, demonstrated the immoral and dangerous disparity that exists between Western and Eastern hemispheres’ comprehension of fatal regional issues, their approaches to dealing with war, and the never-ending danger of widening russian manipulation, aggression, and terrorism.

It also shows that the longer a war persists, regardless of how depraved and merciless it is, the sooner the worrywarts begin to cave into surrendering, acquiescing to the other side, usually the offending one, and toning down their condemnations. Are they learning to live with the victims’ pain?

We see this happening in American politics, and we see this occurring on the global arena.

At this year’s Group of 20 summit in India, moscow succeeded in convincing the spineless members into watering down a group statement concerning the war it launched 18 months ago. No longer will it make any reference to russia’s military action “against Ukraine,” as in the statement released last year. The leaders of the trillionaires club are denying that the war, launched by russia and condemned by many countries, as well as regional and global organizations, is currently being waged against innocent Ukrainians and turning their homeland into a wasteland. It’s just a war, a military action, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting with apparitions. Now the kremlin’s tanks, drones, and hundreds of thousands of troops and corpses are referred to as merely being “in” the country that putin has declared shouldn’t exist.

The worthless declaration adopted omitted any condemnation of russia’s invasion of Ukraine or its brutal conduct of the war, instead lamented with crocodile tears the “suffering” of the Ukrainian people. Lamenting someone’s misfortune is acceptable since you’re not pointing fingers at the guilty party and blaming it for wrongdoing. You’re merely shedding a compassionate tear or two that shows you are civilized in words alone.

It was a dramatic change from a similar document agreed to last year in Bali when leaders acknowledged differing views over the invasion but still issued a strong condemnation of the russian invasion and called on moscow to withdraw its troops. Russia didn’t and its cutthroats in uniforms remained in Ukraine for another 12 months, reigning death and destruction on innocent Ukrainian men, women, and children. Imagine what the russians will allow themselves to do now in the face of this year’s “paper tiger” document?

It has been correctly stated that powder puff reactions to russian war crimes and crimes against humanity will encourage putin and his criminal henchmen to perpetuate their crimes in Ukraine in perpetuity. Whatever else this needless body of global leaders stated in its weak declaration will remain on paper as moscow will not even consider heeding neither the spirit nor intent of the words. The kremlin will continue to ride roughshod over global law and order as it pursues its mission of subjugating Ukraine, annihilating Ukrainians, and expanding its empire.

Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said on Facebook that the omission of Russian aggression from that feeble declaration was “nothing to be proud of.” These high rollers decided to overlook russian rockets and drones that have been regularly targeting civilians in pizzerias, restaurants, marketplaces, turning them into smoldering memorial parks, worthy only of these trillionaires’ lamentation.

“Ukraine is grateful to the partners who tried to include strong wording in the text. At the same time, regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the G20 has nothing to be proud of,” said Nikolenko.

Nikolenko posted on his Facebook account a modified version of the official communiqué of the G20 summit in New Delhi, with words or expressions crossed out and replaced by others in red, reflecting notions the Ukrainian authorities would have preferred. Indeed, the world isn’t fighting in Ukraine, but rather russian is fighting against Ukraine. Examples included the phrase “concerning the war in Ukraine” becoming “concerning the war against Ukraine,” and “all states must refrain from the threat or use of force” replaced by “Russia must refrain...”

The new members of this monied club fail to comprehend what Europeans, especially East Europeans, the former captive nations have experienced. Russia’s aggression threatens regional and global peace, security, and development. And they must be held accountable, as a Latvian politician said.

Soon-to-be ex-Prime Minister of Latvia and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Krišjānis Kariņš said it is necessary to create an international tribunal that would prosecute russian leadership for crimes in Ukraine.

Lithuanian Foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Thursday, September 7, called on the Allies to speed up the delivery of their military aid to Ukraine, which is fighting back against russia’s aggression. “We should stand by Ukraine not for as long as it takes, but until Ukraine’s victory,” the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry quoted Landsbergis as saying at that informal meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) foreign ministers in Latvia.

Those new members of G20 also don’t believe russia’s intention to roll across Europe.

In a recent interview with Moscow’s state-run Russia-1, a clip of which circulated widely on social media Saturday, Colonel-General Andrey Mordvichev said he believes putin’s war will last quite a long time and expand in the future, according to Newsweek.

“I think there’s still plenty of time to spend. It is pointless to talk about a specified period. If we are talking about Eastern Europe, which we will have to, of course then it will be longer,” the general said.

“Ukraine is only a steppingstone?" the interviewer then asked.

“Yes, absolutely. It is only the beginning,” Mordvichev responded, who went on to say that the war “will not stop here.”

Ukraine and the free world can always count on the former captive nations of the Baltic region. Hopefully, the nouveau riche global leaders will reflect on that high level of support and understand their dangerous error.

Another powerful sign of support for Ukraine was displayed by Greece and ten other Balkan countries that signed the Athens Declaration in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity at the Ukraine-Balkans Summit on August 21. Here are a few salient quotes from their statement.

● In the face of Russian aggression, we express our unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, based on the values of democracy and the rule of law.

● We agreed that there can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities, such as attacks against civilians and the destruction of infrastructure, and all those responsible must be held accountable.

● Twenty years ago, the Thessaloniki Summit acknowledged that the Western Balkans belong to the European Union. We firmly believe that today this statement remains more relevant than ever. The escalating war of aggression against Ukraine has revealed the urgent need for a strong, resilient, and inclusive EU as a cornerstone of peace and prosperity among our peoples during these challenging times.

● We stressed that the Western Balkans, Ukraine, and the Republic of Moldova, geographically adjacent to the EU Member States, share a common European heritage, history, and a future defined by shared opportunities and challenges. As a strategic investment in peace, security, and stability in Europe, it is important for these regions to be embraced as full-fledged members of the European family.

Yes, a powerful G20 declaration 18 months after russia invaded Ukraine would have been welcomed but at least Ukraine still enjoys the unconditional support of other countries as it fights off russian aggression and safeguards the free world.