Finance ministers gathered on Friday for a two-day meeting after the invasion turned markets upside down, sent food prices skyrocketing and contributed to soaring inflation.
“Only Russia is responsible for the negative effects on the global economy,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told the Russian delegation at the opening of the meeting.
She added that Russian officials should realize that they are contributing to the horrific consequences of the war through their support for the regime of Vladimir Putin, and with the support of Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
It is not only the generals who commit war crimes. She said there were also economic technocrats who let the war break out and continue.
Russian Deputy Finance Minister Timur Maksimov attended, but it is not known whether he responded.
Russia describes the war as a special military operation and blames blocked ports and soaring energy prices for Western sanctions.
“Russia is trying to say that the world economy has nothing to do with the war,” a French delegate told AFP.
Australian Finance Minister Jim Chalmers has also made it clear that Moscow must take responsibility for the impact on the economy.
– He said that Russia’s unjust actions had a heavy human price, but also increased global insecurity.
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