BENGALURU, Feb 25 - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters that a strong statement condemning Russia's war in Ukraine was "absolutely necessary" for a communique from the G20 finance leaders' meeting in India concluding on Saturday.

Yellen said in an interview that leaving a war condemnation out of the communique would be a step back from a statement made by G20 leaders last November on the Indonesian island of Bali. (Reporting by David Lawder Editing by Mark Potter)