Trudeau says G20 leaders' statement on Ukraine is not strong enough

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the final leaders' statement from the G20 summit in Brazil is not strong enough on the war in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday the final leaders' statement from the G20 summit in Brazil is not strong enough on the war in Ukraine.

He is also expressing some concern about the impact U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will have on global support for Ukraine.

Russia is a member of the G20 but President Vladimir Putin has not attended a leaders' summit since before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

That year, the G20 leaders' final statement condemned Russia's actions and demanded it withdraw from Ukraine.

A year later, the summit ended with watered-down language about the war, and the final statement from Brazil on Tuesday was even shorter and did not mention Russia at all.

Trudeau told reporters that Canada and other G7 nations and "advanced economies" wanted a much stronger statement against the "illegal invasion of Ukraine" but the G20 has broader perspectives.

"No, it's not strong enough for me," he said.