Western powers push to remove Russia from the G20

The United States and its Western allies are determining whether Russia should remain a member of the Group of Twenty (G20) – an international forum comprising the world’s 19 major economies and the European Union.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin first ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Western governments have taken unprecedented steps to sanction Russia and it from the global economy – including shutting it out of the SWIFT global bank messaging system and freezing its central bank assets held abroad, Reuters reported.

"There have been discussions about whether it’s appropriate for Russia to be part of the G20," said one senior official. "If Russia remains a member, it will become a less useful organization."

The G20 is a key international platform for coordinating everything from climate reform to international trade policy – but Russia is unlikely to be dismissed from the fold as members include China, India, Saudi Arabia and others who have, so far, refused to follow the West’s drive to sanction Moscow. For that reason, Western governments are expected to rely more heavily on the G7 – a smaller forum made up of the world’s seven largest economies – and officials are even discussing skipping the G20 meeting in a symbolic act of defiance.

Earlier this week in Brussels, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was asked whether U.S. President Joe Biden would move to remove Russia from the G20 when he met with European leaders in Brussels this week and responded, “We believe that it cannot be business as usual for Russia in international institutions and in the international community.”

A separate EU source confirmed that discussions about Russia’s status had been had with the G20’s current chair, Indonesia.

"It has been made very clear to Indonesia that Russia’s presence at forthcoming ministerial meetings would be highly problematic for European countries," said the source.

Earlier on Tuesday, Polish officials said the government in Warsaw urged U.S. commerce officials to replace Russia within the G20 group and reported that the suggestion had received a “positive response.”

A U.S. Commerce Department spokesperson subsequently said that that a “good meeting” had been held last week between Polish Economic Development and Technology Minister Piotr Nowak and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

"She (Raimondo) welcomed hearing Poland’s views on a number of topics, including the operation of the G20, but did not express a position on behalf of the U.S. Government with respect to the Polish G20 proposal.”

The G7 source said it was seen as unlikely that Indonesia, currently heading the G20, or members like India, Brazil, South Africa and China would agree to remove Russia from the group.

But Moscow’s status at other multilateral forums is also being questioned and World Trade Organization officials in Geneva said several delegations from across the globe were refusing to meet with their Russian counterparts in various formats.

"Many governments have raised objections to what is happening there and these objections have manifested themselves in a lack of engagement with the member concerned," WTO spokesperson Keith Rockwell said.