US President Joe Biden has said he was in favour of Russia being excluded from the Group of 20 (G20)

Brussels: US President Joe Biden has said he was in favour of Russia being excluded from the Group of 20 (G20).

If Russia is not excluded, at least Ukraine should also be invited to the G20 group as an observer, Biden added at a press conference at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.

The US President is in Brussels to attend three summits addressing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including the NATO extraordinary summit, the Group of Seven summit and the European Council meeting, Xinhua news agency reported.

Russia has not commented on Biden’s statement so far.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Thursday that NATO members have demonstrated their loyalty to Washington by vowing to follow its orders aimed at ultimately containing Russia.

She added that Washington once again “disciplined” its allies by pressuring sovereign countries and further erasing Europe’s strategic autonomy.

Earlier there were reports that the US State Department was trying to find a way to boot Russia from its permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Russia meanwhile announced completion of 1st stage of military operation in Ukraine that it started on February 24.

“The combat potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been significantly reduced,” said Sergei Rudskoy, first Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, on Friday.

“Our forces and means will concentrate on the main thing — the complete liberation of Donbas,” he added.