NEW DELHI: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed diplomatic victory on Sunday, declaring a G20 summit in India a “success” after the bloc shied away from direct criticism of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We were able to prevent the West’s attempts to ‘Ukrainize’ the summit agenda,” Lavrov said as the two-day meeting of leaders closed.
“The text doesn’t mention Russia at all” Russia’s veteran diplomat said.
“The Indian presidency has really managed to coalesce G20 members from the global south,” he added, suggesting that Russian allies like Brazil, South Africa, India and China had made their voices heard.
G20 leaders on Saturday papered over deep divisions over Russia’s 18-month-old invasion of its neighbour — alluding to the problems caused by the war, but not blaming Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced to avoid the summit, fearing political opprobrium and the risk of arrest on war crimes charges.
Kyiv’s foreign ministry denounced the G20 statement as “nothing to be proud of”, but a top White House official said Washington was happy with the outcome.
……G20 summit avoids condemning Russia for Ukraine war –
The Group of 20 adopted a consensus declaration at a summit on Saturday that avoided condemning Russia for the war in Ukraine but called on all states not to use force to grab territory.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Leaders’ Declaration had been adopted on the first day of the weekend G20 summit in New Delhi.
“On the back of the hard work of all the teams, we have received consensus on the G20 Leaders Summit Declaration. I announce the adoption of this declaration,” Modi told the leaders, including US President Joe Biden and heads of government and state from across the world.
The consensus came as a surprise as G20 is deeply divided over the war in Ukraine, with Western nations earlier pushing for strong condemnation of Russia in the Leaders’ Declaration, while others demanded a focus on broader economic issues.
“We call on all states to uphold the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty, international humanitarian law, and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability,” the declaration said.
“We … welcome all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine.
“The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” the statement added.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said the declaration was “nothing to be proud of”, adding that a Ukrainian presence would have given participants a better understanding of the situation.
