India pushes Russia, China on G-20 consensus on war wording
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
A meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bank heads failed to reach a consensus on the language to describe Russia’s aggressions in Ukraine.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW DELHI – India is seeking to convince Moscow and Beijing to go along with a consensus on describing Russia’s war in Ukraine, similar to the one reached by leaders of the Group of 20 (G-20) nations in 2022, a senior official with knowledge of the matter said.
Efforts are on to bridge differences ahead of the meeting of G-20 foreign ministers starting later on Wednesday, the official added, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.
The latest round of meetings of the grouping comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war enters a second year.
A meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bank heads last week failed to reach a consensus on the language to describe Russia’s aggressions in Ukraine,
Russia and China deviated from the Bali formula, objecting to the use of the word “war”, India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said after the finance heads’ meeting ended.
The official said New Delhi had also pushed at the finance heads’ summit to stick to the language of the Bali G-20 statement from last November. However, it was unable to get China and Russia to agree, resulting in an impasse.
At a media briefing ahead of the ministers’ meeting, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Russia’s war in Ukraine would be part of the discussions. However, New Delhi “cannot pre-judge the outcome of the foreign ministers’ meeting”.
India stands behind the final statement that emerged from the 2022 leaders’ summit in Indonesia, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi added.
Just hours ahead of the foreign ministers’ meeting, Russia’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement, accused the United States and the European Union of “terrorism” and instigating its aggression in Ukraine, hinting at the difficulties India is set to face to get all the member nations on the same page.
“We are set to clearly state Russia’s assessments of the current security, energy and food situation,” the statement added.
The Foreign Ministry in Moscow did not immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment.
China Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning repeated that her nation’s position is clear, “the core of which is promoting peace talks”.
“We hope the international community will play a constructive role in de-escalating the situation and facilitating a political settlement to the crisis,” she said on Wednesday at a regular press briefing in Beijing.
At last November’s summit, the joint declaration referred to the “war in Ukraine” but not “Russia’s war in Ukraine” to get as many G-20 leaders to sign off as possible.
Beijing and Moscow’s coordinated moves at G-20 illustrate a growing closeness even as the many nations led by the US have imposed stringent sanctions to isolate and punish Russia for its war in Ukraine. India, which is buying increasing amounts of discounted crude and is heavily dependent on military hardware from Russia, does not want to be dragged into either camp.
New Delhi’s primary focus is to make the G-20 a success, the official said without clarifying whether India would again publicly name countries that deviate from the Bali consensus and block a joint statement. BLOOMBERG
