Blinken defends G20's statement on Ukraine amid criticism

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the United States' decision to accept the joint statement from G20 leaders on Russia’s war in Ukraine that did not replicate the group’s previous stance condemning Russia for its invasion.

“The G20 countries in this statement all stood up for the importance of territorial integrity, sovereignty — and that’s very clear,” Blinken said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The group’s statement this year did not call out Russia by name, but said that all countries should “refrain from action against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state.”

The wording, which Western countries called for to signal a continued condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, could also appease complaints from Moscow that attacks inside Russia have escalated since the beginning of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was deeply involved in the weeks of negotiations leading to the final version.

“I was in the room when all the leaders spoke today with President Biden and it was very clear from everything that they said that not only do they want to see this war end, but they want to see it end on just and durable terms and it was also very clear that the consequences of Russia's aggression are being felt throughout the G20 countries and throughout the developing world,” Blinken said Sunday.

“I think it's very important that the G20 spoke as one,” Blinken added. “To some extent, maybe it's the G19, because obviously, Russia is also here as part of the G20.”

The Ukrainian foreign ministry blasted the communiqué Saturday, calling the statement "nothing to be proud of."

House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) agreed with Ukraine's assessment, calling the statement "a real slap in the face to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy," during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."

Despite the weaker language in this year's joint communiqué, G20 leaders did note the impact the war is having on food security internationally, Blinken said.

"Leader after leader in the room made clear that, for the rest of the world, too, the consequences of what Russia has done are having a terrible, terrible impact, food insecurity around the world," Blinken said during an interview on ABC's "This Week."

"Ukraine had been the breadbasket of the world for so many years. Russia blockaded its ports after the invasion. A deal was negotiated to allow grain to get out. Russia recently tore it up," Blinken said, referencing Russia's decision this summer to pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a U.N.-brokered agreement that previously made it possible for Ukraine to safely export tens of millions of tons of grains while the war raged.

Blinken traveled to Ukraine last week to meet with Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to show “unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and democracy” as its counteroffensive against Russian troops continues, the State Department said in a statement at the time of the trip.

Progress in the counteroffensive has been slow, drawing concern from some international allies over the country's ability to repel Russia. But on Sunday, Blinken remained optimistic about the possibility of Ukraine's success.

"I found both President Zelenskyy and every Ukrainian that I met, whether it was folks in the government or whether it was many other Ukrainians that we had a chance to engage with over the course of two days, incredibly resilient, incredibly courageous, incredibly resolute," Blinken said on ABC.

"And ultimately, that's really what's at the heart of this and the reason I remain very confident in Ukraine's ultimate success, which is that they're fighting for their country, for their future, for their freedom. The Russians are not."