On Sunday, the G20 summit in New Delhi came to an end as India turned the group’s presidency on to Brazil. The United States and Russia both welcomed the summit’s consensus, which did not denounce Moscow for its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine but urged participants to abstain from using force.
Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, requested that a virtual meeting of the group’s leaders be held in November to assess the status of the goals and policy recommendations presented over the weekend.
In a statement, he stated, “It is our responsibility to look at the suggestions that have been made to see how progress can be accelerated.”
Russia-Ukraine war discussions at G20
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addresses media on G20 declaration (Credits: ANI)
On Saturday, the group issued a Leaders’ Declaration that avoided criticizing Russia for the crisis while highlighting the misery it had brought about and urging other states to refrain from using force to seize new territory.
Surprisingly, the consensus was reached. Sharp disagreements over the war had threatened to derail the summit in the weeks prior to it, with Russia threatening to veto any resolution that would not support its position and Western nations demanding that participants condemn Moscow for the invasion.
The summit was successful for both India and the Global South, or developing nations, according to Sergei Lavrov, the head of the Russian delegation.
He said during a press conference that the Global South’s participation in the discussions helped keep Ukraine from overshadowing the G20 agenda. India has effectively brought together G20 participants from the Global South.
The resolution has also received plaudits from Germany and Britain, although Ukraine stated “it was nothing to be proud of.”
The G20, which was established to address global economic challenges, is not always the place to anticipate diplomatic progress on the situation in Ukraine, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
The G20 statement, he claimed, was not a diplomatic triumph for Russia.
Tens of thousands of people died, millions were displaced, and there was economic upheaval all around the world as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Moscow, which claims to be carrying out a “special military operation” there, denies any atrocities have taken place.
Inclusion of the African Union
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Azali Assoumani, chairperson of the African Union
Image source: The Mint
At the meeting, the African Union, which has 55 members, was also inducted as a permanent member of the G20, demonstrating the group’s inclusiveness of more developing nations.
Regarding worries about food security, Lavrov stated that if Moscow’s demands were addressed, Russia would resume enforcing the Black Sea Agreement that permits Ukraine to export grain. Moscow withdrew from the pact in July because of what it claimed were unmet demands about the implementation of a parallel agreement loosening restrictions on the export of its own food and fertilizer.
The summit statement had demanded the secure flow of food, fertilizer, and grain from both Russia and Ukraine.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that talks between Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey on the grain deal will continue and that it was “not hopeless” to revive it.
World leaders visit Gandhi Samadhi
Image source: BBC News
President Joe Biden of the United States, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were among the world leaders who paid a visit to Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial on Sunday.
The majority of the politicians walked barefoot to Gandhi’s cremation location after his 1948 assassination by a Hindu extremist.
Biden later left for Vietnam, skipping the summit’s final session. The Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who were in charge of their respective nations’ delegations at the summit, were not mentioned by the White House as potential conversation partners.
Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping missed the summit.
A European Union official, who did not want to be identified, said on Sunday the Ukraine war was the most contentious issue in the negotiations.
“Without India’s leadership it would not have been possible,” the official said, adding that Brazil and South Africa also played a crucial role in bridging differences.
