G20 Summit: ‘G20 declaration balanced’, says Russia as summit moves to final day

Russia welcomed the G20 summit declaration, which refrained from explicitly condemning Moscow for its actions in the Ukraine conflict.

Russia expressed the view that the leaders of the G20 acted in the spirit of conflict resolution as discussions continued on Sunday, Reuters reported.

As reported by Reuters, the consensus declaration, adopted in New Delhi on Saturday, did not directly criticize Russia for the war but instead urged all states to refrain from using force to acquire territory. Russia has characterized its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation."

"There were very difficult negotiations on the Ukraine issue; first of all, the collective position of the BRICS countries and partners worked, everything was reflected in a balanced form ...", Svetlana Lukash, the Russian G20 sherpa, or government negotiator, was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Interfax.

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In the weeks leading up to the summit, the G20 nations faced difficulties in reaching a common agreement regarding the Ukraine conflict. Western countries pushed for a unified stance that would condemn Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, while Russia maintained its position that it would veto any resolution that did not align with its perspective.

"This was one of the most difficult G20 summits in the almost twenty-year history of the forum ... it took almost 20 days to agree on the declaration before the summit and five days here on the spot," Lukash said.

"This was not only due to some disagreements on the Ukraine subject, but also due to differences in positions on all key issues, primarily the issues of climate change and the transition to low-carbon energy systems..."

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Reuters reported that a European Union official, who did not want to be identified, said on Sunday discussions on the G20 leaders' declaration went on until the last moment and the Ukraine war was the most contentious issue before a consensus was reached.

The official commended India for its robust leadership and noted that Brazil and South Africa also made significant contributions during the negotiations.

The summit, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by leaders like US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, aims to strike a balance between the interests of the global south and those of the Western world.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said the Delhi declaration was "nothing to be proud of", adding that a Ukrainian presence would have given participants a better understanding of the situation.

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Ukraine had inquired about the possibility of participating in the summit of the world's largest economies.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 resulted in a significant loss of life, the displacement of millions of people, and widespread economic disruptions globally. Moscow has consistently denied allegations of committing atrocities during the course of the conflict.

(With inputs from Reuters)