NEW DELHI – Indian officials hosting the Group of 20 (G-20) finance chiefs this week are seeking to avoid using the word “war” in any joint statement when referring to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, a source familiar with the matter said.

That would mark a divergence from the consensus reached by leaders in Bali last November. The source said using words like “crisis” will be more acceptable.

Indian officials are also worried that any further plans by some nations to impose additional sanctions on Russia will draw attention away from the other priorities of the G-20 meetings, according to the source, who asked not to be identified because the plans are not public.

India’s Finance Ministry spokesman declined to comment when asked about the matter.

The move would be a step back from the language used in a G-20 statement last November, when top leaders such as US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Bali, Indonesia.

That G-20 leaders’ statement said that “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine”, while acknowledging “other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions”.

Leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Thailand used the same language nearly word for word in a communique several days later. 

Reopening the debate over language referring to the Russian war in Ukraine risks overshadowing India’s other goals as host in 2023. 

In the highest-profile event of India’s G-20 presidency so far, finance chiefs and central bankers will meet in the southern city of Bengaluru on Friday and Saturday to discuss issues such as debt relief for poorer nations, global economic and policy outlooks, and international tax arrangements.

India’s geopolitical importance to the United States and its allies has increased as American policymakers seek to contain Beijing’s growing assertiveness, with an increased focus on the Quad grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the US.

At the same time, New Delhi has continued to maintain close ties with Russia in a bid to secure cheaper energy and weapons. 

“India’s reluctance to use the word war has got to do with its official stand, which is staying neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war,” Ms Swasti Rao, associate fellow at the New Delhi-based Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses’ Europe and Eurasia Centre told Bloomberg Television. “It has little to do with the role India is trying to play, which is calling for de-escalation and trying to mediate in many ways.”

Prior to the breakthrough in Bali, similar G-20 gatherings of finance ministers produced no final communique agreed by all members, with only a “chair’s summary” published at the end of the discussions. BLOOMBERG