G20 walkout and German energy pledge: 21 April 2022 in context
A look back at diplomatic pressure on Moscow in the days around 21 April 2022, from Washington to Riga.
How far were Russia's partners and critics willing to go in isolating Moscow by 21 April 2022? The reports from the preceding days show a sharp divide.
On 20 April 2022, finance ministers from the United States and many European countries left a closed G20 session in Washington as Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov began delivering his prepared remarks virtually, according to a person familiar with the meeting. The walkout followed US President Biden's call to exclude Russia from the G20, a step that requires the agreement of all members. China did not appear to support it.
That same day, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told a press conference in Riga, alongside her Baltic counterparts, that Germany would stop importing Russian oil and other energy supplies by the end of the year. She said oil imports would be halved by summer and then reduced to zero by year's end.
Beijing's stance was visible on 19 April 2022, when Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said China would strengthen its strategic ties with Russia and confirmed support for President Putin, even as Russian forces faced accusations of war crimes over the killing of civilians.
On the battlefield and in rhetoric, the picture was also moving. On 19 April 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would not use nuclear weapons and would keep using conventional arms, responding to American allegations that Moscow might resort to them. On 20 April 2022, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych claimed Ukraine was blocking an attempted Russian advance on Sloviansk in the eastern offensive.
