G20 finance ministers have failed to agree on a joint statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

 
This is after representatives from both Russia and China refused to sign the document.

Throughout the last 12 months, Beijing has strayed away from joining other world powers in criticising Moscow’s attack.

Instead, China has looked to remain neutral on the conflict – calling for talks to take place between the two sides as a way to try and make peace.

At a meeting of G20 finance ministers in India over the weekend, Beijing continued with this stance.

They joined Moscow in refusing to sign a joint statement which strongly condemned Russia’s aggression.

This comes just days after China also abstained from voting on a UN resolution condemning the invasion.

China and Russia remain close allies and have improved their economic links in the last year, with Beijing buying up Russian oil and criticising Western sanctions on Moscow.

At the end of last week, as the world marked one year since the start of the war in Ukraine, China released a 12-point plan for peace – calling for a ceasefire of hostilities.

Critics of Beijing noted that this peace plan offered no condemnation of Russia’s invasion.

They also pointed to recent meetings between China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming that China is too pro-Moscow to be truly neutral on the conflict.

All of this follows recent claims from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that Beijing is considering the possibility of providing weapons to Moscow – claims which China strongly deny.