Trump G20 Boycott Sparks Global Tension as Lula Warns Multilateral System Is at Risk | APT - video Dailymotion

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Tensions erupted at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg after U.S. President Donald Trump boycotted the meeting, leaving an empty seat and blocking the traditional joint declaration. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned that the G20 and global cooperation are “at risk” without U.S. participation. Leaders expressed concerns about climate action, debt reform, inequality, and the future of multilateral forums as Washington signals a shift away from international engagement.  #G20 #Trump #Lula

Transcript

00:00The G20 summit in Johannesburg opened in the air of tension and controversy. President Luis

00:13Ignacio Lula da Silva took the occasion to make one of the strongest warnings he had made till

00:18date. The G20 itself was at risk and in the middle of it all is the lack of presence of

00:24the US President Donald Trump who declined to go to the summit or even send top-level

00:30representatives. In the case of Lula the message was clear with the United States

00:34out of the table the coordination of the world is disintegrating. Look at South

00:40Africa what's going on look at South America what's going on you know I'm

00:45not going to we have a G20 meeting in South Africa South Africa shouldn't even

00:49be in the Gs anymore. The boycott did not only leave an empty chair but also shook

00:56the agenda of the whole summit. The host country South Africa was pressured to not

01:02issue the traditional joint declaration by the US officials as Washington would

01:06not be part of drafting it. To Lula it was a direct stab at the multilateral system

01:12he has been striving to re-establish for two years. Lula claimed that the world was

01:17entering a new phase the one where people have to act collectively regarding

01:21climate inequality and debt. He emphasized that it is the G20 that

01:26accounts for 77% of global emissions and a new economic model should emanate out

01:32of this same forum. However without the involvement of the US the climate

01:37financing and development agenda are suspended in the air. The boycott of Trump

01:43also indicates a more dramatic change in the US foreign policy. The abandonment of

01:48multilateral forums. The adoption of unilateral decision-making. The US had

01:54even missed Brazil Copper 30 and Bilem days before. To most of the diplomats in

01:58Johannesburg the message was straightforward. Washington cannot commit any more to

02:04international treaties that it doesn't dictate. Another point that Lula raised was

02:10that inequality between the poor and the rich countries is increasing and becoming

02:15morally wrong and unsustainable economically. Nearly half the global

02:19population is now residing in nation-states that have to pay more money to

02:23debt services than on health or education. In the case of Lula the G20

02:28must address these imbalances directly. However since the US is not at the

02:33negotiating table leaders are afraid that lasting change will be eluded once again.

02:38Now as the summit is continued the question arises. Is it possible to have

02:45the G20 operate and even exist when one of the strongest members decides to

02:49disengage? To Lula it is a matter of international interest. Boycotting is a

02:54political expression to Trump and in the future of multilateral diplomacy it can

02:59become a trailblazer to the rest of the world. Diplomats also caution that in the

03:06absence of the United States the G20 will lose its value as merely another

03:10symbolic gesture and not a policy delivery. A number of leaders

03:14acknowledged in their private discussion that the absence of Washington raises the

03:19question of whether global agreements on climate, on debt or trade would stand

03:24any chance to proceed. To Lula it is all about timing. Brazil has been advocating to

03:32have a more inclusive global system. The one that considers the global south as its

03:36equals. But Trump boycotting this could be seen to counter this momentum and the

03:42major powers may just do away with decisions made by multilateral groups that

03:47they do not like. The emerging economies are also in a lurch as a result of the

03:54boycott. Those nations that are dependent on the US financial aid and commerce are now

03:59contending to walk the fine line between the cries of collaboration by Lula and the

04:04message of Washington that unity is no longer a priority.

Trump G20 Boycott Sparks Global Tension as Lula Warns Multilateral System Is at Risk | APT

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