G20 final declaration acknowledges difference of opinion on Ukraine

There was no condemnation of Russia in the final document following the high-profile meeting in New Delhi

The nations of the G20 managed to agree a final declaration of the summit in New Delhi that acknowledges the lack of consensus among the world’s top economies regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

“Friends, I just received a piece of good news,” the host of the gathering, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, told other leaders of the group on Saturday. “Thanks to the hard work of our teams and your co-operation, the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit have agreed a joint declaration,” he said. The Indian leader later shared the full text of the 34-page document on his account on X (formerly Twitter).   

Reuters reported earlier that the Ukrainian issue had been a major stumbling block in finalizing the document as the Western push for strong condemnation of Russia over its military operation in the neighboring country faced resistance from other G20 members.  

According to the agency, the paragraph devoted to the “geopolitical situation” remained blank in the declaration’s draft on Friday, while all the other paragraphs covering topics ranging from global debt and cryptocurrencies to climate change had already been agreed.  

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With Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping both skipping the event in New Delhi, the media expected the summit to be dominated by the US and its allies. However, the West was unable to persuade the nations of the so-called Global South to change their stance on the crisis.     

The final text of the declaration said that the G20 members “highlighted the human suffering and negative added impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, supply chains, macro-financial stability, inflation and growth.” Developing countries, which have already been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, are the ones suffering the most due to the conflict, it added.  

However, the document stressed that “there were different views and assessments of the situation” among the members about the conflict in Ukraine.   

According to the declaration, the G20 leaders vow to “unite” in tackling the impact of the crisis on the global economy. It also said that the group would “welcome all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine” that would uphold the principles of the UN Charter.