‘My answer is yes’: Biden wants Russia removed from G20 over Ukraine war

US President Joe Biden on Thursday publicly called for the removal of Russia from the G20 group of nations, marking the first public, official call by the US for Russia’s removal from the group.

Speaking at a news conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, after a meeting with G7 and NATO leaders, Biden responded to reporters’ questions about Russia’s removal, saying, “My answer is yes.”

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However, the 79-year-old added that the final decision on Russia’s membership in the group rested on other members, and said, “It depends on the G20. That was raised today, and I raised the possibility that, if that can’t be done – if Indonesia and others do not agree – then we should, in my view, ask to have both Ukraine be able to attend the meetings as well as … basically [having] Ukraine being able to attend the G20 meeting and observe.”

Biden’s comment signalled a reversal of the White House’s stance, which had earlier declined to publicly comment on reports that the US and its allies wanted Russia out of the G20.

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Apart from calling for Russia’s expulsion from the G20, President Biden also assured Ukraine of a unified response by the US and its allies in the event Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine.

President Biden also said that a global food crisis could be on the cards as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, saying that the possibility was “real.”

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The 79-year-old further shared his hopes of visiting refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, saying, “I plan on attempting to see those folks … I hope I get to see a lot of people.”

With regard to sanctions on Russia, President Biden said that while sanctions would “never deter” Vladimir Putin, continued economic pressure on Russia was likely to yield benefits eventually: “The maintenance of sanctions — the maintenance of sanctions, the increasing the pain and the demonstration of why I asked for this NATO meeting today is to be sure that after a month, we will sustain what we’re doing, not just next month, the following month, but for the remainder of this entire year. That’s what will stop him.”