Canada wants ‘arsonist’ Russia removed from IMF, G-20

Canada is pushing for Russia to be kicked out of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the G-20, a group of 20 countries that work on issues related to the economy, in light of the IMF and World Bank meetings in Washington, D.C., this week. 

Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters in D.C. that Russia is an “arsonist” in a group of “firefighters,” Bloomberg reported Friday. 

“The IMF and World Bank meetings are meetings of firefighters — of ministers and central bank governors, whose job is to protect the global economy,” she said. “Russia right now is the arsonist. Russia shouldn’t have been at the IMF meetings. Arsonists have no place in meetings of the firefighters.” 

Russia has received condemnation from much of the international community for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. 

Russia has been increasingly isolated from the rest of the world as the war has continued. President Biden declared earlier in the conflict that he supported removing Russia from the G-20. 

Freeland, who also serves as deputy prime minister and is of Ukrainian descent, said Canada can only call out Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government for the decision to invade Ukraine but cannot prevent Russia from attending the meetings at this time. 

“There is one immediate step that would eliminate significant turmoil within the global economy, help alleviate food shortages and help with the high cost of energy in so much of the world. And that step is for Russia to leave Ukraine now,” Freeland said. 

She said the inclusion of Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko at the meetings was “very important” and that he spoke “very effectively” about what is happening in Ukraine. She added that she could see on her counterparts’ faces how they were affected by Marchenko’s testimony.