Walkout at G20 and Berlin's energy pledge: 21 April 2022 in review
A look back at how Russia's isolation and Europe's energy choices were taking shape in the days up to 21 April 2022.
What did the diplomatic picture around Russia look like on 21 April 2022? Reports from the preceding days pointed to deepening isolation in some forums and firm alignment in others.
On 20 April, finance ministers from many countries, including the United States and several European states, left a closed G20 session in Washington when Russia's finance minister, Anton Siluanov, began delivering his prepared speech by video link, according to a person familiar with the meeting. The walkout followed a call by US President Biden to exclude Russia from the G20. Such a step requires the agreement of all members, and China appeared not to support it.
China's position had been signalled a day earlier. On 19 April, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said Beijing was set to strengthen its strategic ties with Russia, confirming support for President Putin while Russian forces faced accusations of war crimes over the killing of civilians.
Germany sets an energy deadline
Also on 20 April, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told a press conference in Riga, alongside her Baltic counterparts, that Germany planned to end imports of Russian oil and energy by the end of the year. She said oil imports would be halved by summer and then cut to zero by year's end, adding that Germany would give up Russian energy imports entirely.
Taken together, the reports showed Western governments moving to exclude Russia from international bodies and reduce their energy dependence on it, while China publicly reaffirmed its backing for Moscow.
