Saudi prince mingles with G20 leaders
02 December, 2018
Fissures on trade, climate change and Ukraine divided world leaders Friday as U.S. President Donald Trump came under sustained fire and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler came in from the cold at G20 talks.
The summit began in Buenos Aires with a traditional “family photo” by the leaders of a group whose relationships range from warm and friendly to chilly and distrustful.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, under pressure himself after his security forces seized three Ukrainian ships, set the tone for a combative two days by condemning the “vicious” use of sanctions and trade protectionism.
The target was clear, as Trump — who canceled a planned meeting with Putin in Buenos Aires — tears up the stability promoted by the G20 powers a decade ago.
And during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin was said by a French aide to have drawn a map of the strait off Crimea to buttress his position that the Ukrainian ships had intruded into Russian waters — a claim denied by Kiev.
Earlier, Putin grinned broadly and welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman like a long-lost friend with an enthusiastic hand-shake after the group photo, where Trump looked on somberly and Chinese President Xi Jinping stood impassively.
The summit marks a quick return to the international stage for Prince Mohammed after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.
Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May both raised the murder of Khashoggi during meetings with the 33-year-old prince.
May also told British media she intended to use the summit to sell the vision of a “global Britain” after its Brexit departure from the European Union, scheduled for March next year.
European Council President Donald Tusk was more focused on the Ukraine crisis, saying he was “sure” the bloc would roll over its sanctions on Russia next month.
On the G20 front, Tusk admitted the world was undergoing a “difficult moment” overall, as Trump pursues a vision at odds with the idea of collective action on trade and climate change.