G20 summit: Macron and Saudi crown prince in extraordinary exchange over Khashoggi murder and Yemen
Two-day summit intended to focus on development, infrastructure and food security
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The G20 Summit in Argentina kicked off with world leaders huddling on the sidelines to discuss their response to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was seen discussing the death with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who appeared to be ignored during the group’s official “family photo” portrait session.
Meanwhile, confusion remains over whether Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet during the summit.
See the latest updates in our live blog below
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load
The president kicked off Friday morning with a series of angry tweets after the White House reaffirmed he had cancelled an expected discussion with Mr Putin, despite the Kremlin claiming otherwise.
“Oh, I get it! I am a very good developer, happily living my life, when I see our Country going in the wrong direction (to put it mildly). Against all odds, I decide to run for President & continue to run my business-very legal & very cool, talked about it on the campaign trail...,” he tweeted.
“....Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!”
Reports suggest Mr Trump is in a “terrible mood” and “completely distracted” as he headed to the event.
The president responded to news of Mr Cohen’s plea deal by saying he was a “weak person and not a very smart person.”
Mr Trump will be having a number of meetings at the summit in Buenos Aires starting the day at 6.50am local time and finishing 10.10pm. He said on Thursday he had cancelled a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, due to the country’s conflict with Ukraine.
The president has downgraded a number of his bilateral meetings as he feels “there’s nothing in them for him”, according to CNN.
Issues such as the trade war between the US and China and the conflict over Ukraine are likely to dominate the agenda.
Ahead of the summit Mr Trump said current tariff levels on Chinese imports would rise as planned.
The summit is being held in South America for the first time and Michael Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank, said G20 summits wer once considered an opportunity for Latin American members Argentina, Brazil and Mexico to shape the global agenda.
“That turned out to be a fleeting aspiration,” Mr Shifter said.
“...Argentine president Mauricio Macri, the summit’s host, has lowered expectations. ... Now a success would be a summit meeting that goes smoothly, without any major disruption.”
Donald Trump with Argentina's President Mauricio Macri during their meeting at Casa Rosada, Friday (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel still plans on meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on the sidelines of the G20 in Argentina despite her delayed arrival.
Merkel's arriving later than intended because a technical issue with her government plane forced her to change plans, but spokeswoman Martina Fietz said she'll still meet one-on-one with Mr Putin.
Theresa May will spent time at the G20 summit telling world leaders that the Brexit agreement she has reached with the European Union will have positive consequences for the global economy.
Theresa May is the first UK leader to visit Buenos Aires as she arrives for G20 summit.
Theresa May will be meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at 20:00 UK time.
Argentinian President Mauricio Macri (R) greeting Queen Maxima (L) of the Netherlands during a business meeting before G20 Summit, in Buenos Aires (EPA/Argentinian Presidency / HANDOUT)
Previous summits have seen participants who are not permanent members of the G20 invited, and Spain is a permanent invited guest and will be represented in Argentina.
The summit's hosts have also invited Chile and the Netherlands, while several partner organisations such as the African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, World Bank, World Health Organisation and the World Trade Organisation are typically present.
What is the difference between the G7 and G20?
The G7 is a group of the largest advanced economies in the world and comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Russia was previously a member of the then G8 but was ejected over the annexation of Crimea.
The G7 has a stronger focus on politics in industrialised countries, including discussions on health, energy, environment and terrorism, while the G20 looks at economic issues facing developed and emerging economies.
There are concerns that domestic issues and items that not on the agenda will take over from the day's discussions at the G20.
Thomas Bernes of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a Canada-based think tank said:
The G-20 Leaders' Summit is at risk of falling into disarray with the summit being overshadowed by items not on agenda.
The true test will be whether the other members of the G-20 will act resolutely or whether we will witness the crumbling of the G-20 as a forum for international economic cooperation.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments