Government officials reviewing Biden's G20 summit activities have set their sights on the coalition's efforts to voice its opposition to the war in Ukraine, which could send a strong signal among a group that has so far had a divided approach to Kremlin aggression.
This marks the first time the group has gathered in person since the start of the invasion, and most G20 members are expected to sign a statement condemning Russia's war in Ukraine "and the human suffering it has caused to both Ukrainian citizens and families in the developing world who face food and fuel insecurity as a repercussions,” said a senior administration official.
Such expressions of condemnation have been the work of months of diplomacy between the G20 leaders. However, it is not yet clear which countries will sign the declaration.
While the G20 is made up of world powers that have long supported Ukraine during the war, it also includes other countries that have not responded to Russian aggression – including India, China, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, hosting this year's summit. The coalition, which is broadly focused on the global economy, also includes Russia itself. But Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend this year's summit.
Since spring, US officials have been anticipating a showdown at this year's G20 over the war. Biden has stated Russia should no longer be a member of the bloc, even though expelling Moscow would require the support of all G20 members.
As of now, there are no official "family photos" listed on the schedule, a sign of the deep bitterness within the G20 sparked by the war in Ukraine.
The president's diplomatic Tuesday – a day of working with leaders that concludes with a gala dinner – is expected to precede the announcement of the 2024 presidential campaign by Biden's predecessor, Trump, from the other side of the world. The prospective announcement will set the stage for a two-year battle for the American presidency, having the power to overshadow Biden's efforts to unite world leaders - some have been personally stung by Trump's nationalist approach.
Biden and his team have spent time during multi-leg transcontinental trips abroad tackling domestic politics, demonstrating that the issue has clouded not only their minds, but among their foreign counterparts in meetings during their trip.
On Sunday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that "many of the leaders" at the ASEAN summit discussed the midterms with Biden, that many of the leaders were "following them closely" and that the president now feels he has a strong position on the international stage. .
Vote tally for last Tuesday's midterm elections continues to trickle in, with Democrats only securing their continued majority in the US Senate last weekend and the future of the US House of Representatives remains unclear. But Biden – who has frequently portrayed the US dynamic with other world powers as a global struggle between democracy and autocracy – raised the political headwind in his favor Monday in Bali after he took part in a roughly three-hour meeting with Xi. jinping.
At a news conference after his meeting with Xi, Biden sought to deliver an election outcome seen so far as a victory for the future of American democracy - an issue he said was at stake at the polls.
“The American people are proving once again that democracy is who we are. There is strong resistance to election deniers at every level from those who want to lead our state and those who want to serve in congress and also those who want to oversee the election," Biden said in early remarks after Xi's meeting.
On Tuesday, Biden will participate in a work session and lunch with leaders at the summit. He will also co-host the Partnership for Infrastructure and Global Investment event, which the White House said "aims to mobilize $600 billion in the next five years with G7 partners to provide sustainable infrastructure and advance US national security and economic security interests." The President will later meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy and end the evening with a gala dinner.
The meeting with Meloni will be Biden's first chance to award Italy's new prime minister directly since he took office in October - when he became the country's far-right leader since Benito Mussolini.
These two leaders definitely have differences in LGBT rights, abortion rights and immigration policies. But they are expected to focus on common interests – in particular, their support for Ukraine. According to the White House, Biden and Meloni will discuss "cooperating on shared global challenges, including those posed by the People's Republic of China, and our ongoing efforts to help Ukraine defend against Russian aggression."
The global infrastructure initiative event follows the launch in 2021 among G7 partners to better position the US and its allies to compete with China.
China's Belt and Road Initiative, first announced in 2013 under Xi, aims to build ports, roads and railroads to create new trade corridors connecting China to Africa and the rest of Eurasia. China-funded transcontinental infrastructure initiatives have been seen as an extension of the country's sharp ascent to global power.
At the summit, Biden is also expected to "talk about energy security as a core issue facing the global economy", calling for price caps as "the main way we can help keep global energy security".
Other topics at the summit, senior administration officials said, include economic coordination, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, with new announcements expected on digital infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific and solar power in Honduras. This article was written by EDUKASI CAMPUS.