Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Trying to walk a tightrope, member countries of the ongoing G-20 Summit here on Saturday, while decrying the “use of force” in Ukraine, refrained from naming Russia whose war against its neighbor continues after over 18 months of invasion.
The West and its allies had insisted on a stronger language condemning Russia for the invasion. Led by the US, they tried to convince the host for a strongly-worded joint communique but India held its fort as Russia continues to be a trusted friend.
India’s position vis-à-vis Russia was understandable in view of its border disputes with China, and the need to balance its ties with not only Moscow and Beijing but also with Washington.
So, unlike the strongly-worded communique issued after the 17th G-20 Summit in Indonesia last year, the New Delhi Declaration appears as a climbdown by the West, which had insisted on stronger language when referring to Ukraine and Russia’s role in the war, the media reported on Saturday.
In effect, the G-20 leaders have unanimously called on all states to “refrain from the threat, or use, of force to seek territorial acquisition” and ruled the threat of the use of nuclear weapons was “inadmissible”, a discreet critique of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
This Declaration, unlike the one adopted in Indonesia, does not actually name Russia in connection with the war in Ukraine. It merely calls on all states to refrain from acting against the territorial integrity of any nation and “recognizes the G-20 is not the platform to resolve geopolitical and security issues… (which) can have significant consequences for the global economy.”
States were, instead, urged to “uphold principles of international law, including territorial integrity and sovereignty.” The Declaration also called for a “comprehensive, just and durable peace in Ukraine.”
In Indonesia, the G-20 Declaration was more explicit, citing a United Nations resolution and condemning in “strongest terms… the aggression by Russian Federation against Ukraine.”
In Saturday’s declaration, however, Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022, was mentioned only four times in a 37-page document. India’s G-20 sherpa, Amitabh Kant, said it had been achieved with “100 percent consensus.”
Disagreements over the wording of paragraphs on the geopolitical situation in Ukraine had stalled earlier efforts at building consensus, which India had insisted also accommodate the views of Russia and China—whose Presidents have skipped the Summit this time.
India had countered by suggesting the G-20 while condemning the suffering caused by Russia’s invasion, is “a premier forum for economic cooperation” and not to resolve geopolitical issues.