President Barack Obama, along with leaders of the most powerful nations in the world, arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia on Thursday for the G20 summit; an international meeting officially focused on the economy, but expected to shift to the growing and complicated conflict in Syria.
Obama and his allies are ready to launch a military strike against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria that used sarin gas against its own people, while Russia, one of Syria’s strongest allies, has made clear time and time again that they would not support such action. President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, warned the West against action in Syria, saying that the evidence presenting the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons was not convincing, and furthermore, that is “completely absurd” to think Syrian forces would have done so, knowing full well “it could serve as a pretext for applying sanctions against them, including the use of force.”
According to The New York Times, Obama does not expect to reach a consensus regarding taking military action against Syria, but hoped to at least gain support of those nations who do favor a military response. However, beyond France, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, it is unlikely Obama will gain the support of a G20 nation.
China has already backed Russia’s position, The Financial Times reports. Chinese vice-finance minister Zhu Guangyao stated that attacking Syria would drive up oil prices, while China’s foreign military spokesman that military action violated international law and would only serve to further complicate the conflict.