IMF Meeting Erupts as Delegates Walk Out on Russia

A big meeting happened in Bangkok. It was part of the annual gatherings for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. During a steering committee session, Russia's finance minister, Anton Siluanov, began to speak in Russian. Right away, many delegates stood up and left the room. Sources say nearly a dozen people walked out. Members from the European Union were in that group.

The countries that left included Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. One diplomat from Europe explained why. The war in Ukraine feels existentially important to European nations. They said they cannot treat Russia like a normal partner right now.

This walkout fits a longer pattern. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the IMF committee has struggled to agree on any joint statements. At this same Bangkok meeting, new friction appeared between the United States and Ukraine. Germany had warned just days earlier about welcoming Russia back onto the world stage. Siluanov had recently attended a G20 finance meeting in North Carolina. The United States currently leads the G20. A top American official, Erin Browne, said that solving a crisis requires keeping lines of communication open.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke at a European Union summit around the same time. He criticized a fuel deal between former President Trump and Russia. He also welcomed the idea of European allies taking a larger role in peace discussions. EU leaders supported Zelenskiy after Trump called Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries a disgrace. Meanwhile, missiles and drones keep hitting cities across Ukraine. Some fear the United States might reduce intelligence sharing and weapons shipments to Kyiv.