Angry exchanges over Russia’s war in Ukraine have dominated G20 talks, with hosts India stating the disagreements mean there will be no joint statement.
The US secretary of state said the meeting had been marred by Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified conflict”.
The Russian foreign minister accused the West of “extortion and intimidation.”
India had hoped to focus on other issues affecting developing nations. But it stated that differences regarding Ukraine “could not be reconciled.”
“We attempted, but the gap between the countries was too great,” said S Jaishankar, the foreign minister of India.
The G20, which consists of the world’s 19 wealthiest nations and the European Union, accounts for 85% of global economic output and two-thirds of its population.
Foreign ministers from the group, including Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, the United States’ Antony Blinken, and China’s Qin Gang, met in Delhi under India’s presidency. The top US and Russian diplomats met for the first time since the war began a year earlier.
According to a senior state department official, Mr. Blinken met with Mr. Lavrov for approximately ten minutes on the margins and assured him that the West would stand by Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” Mr. Blinken also urged Russia to rejoin the New Start nuclear arms control treaty, from which it had recently withdrawn, and to adhere to its terms.
Officials from Russia denied that any negotiations had occurred. Earlier, Russia also accused the West of “burying” an agreement to enable some Ukrainian grain exports. However, the United States countered that Russia was impeding Ukrainian exports.
Meanwhile, Russian officials reported that Moscow and Beijing had agreed to oppose what they termed Western blackmail and threats; however, China has not confirmed this.
“Manners are discussed. Well, our Western counterparts have grown bad with these,” Mr. Lavrov said after Thursday’s talks. They no longer consider diplomacy; instead, they only engage in blackmail and menace everyone else.
The session had been opened by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who warned that global divisions threatened sustainable development.
“Many developing nations struggle with unsustainable debts while attempting to assure food and energy security,” he said.
“They are also the most influenced by global warming caused by richer countries.”
It was a rare speech by Mr. Modi in English, indicating the gravity with which he wished to convey his message. He did not mention the conflict in Ukraine directly, but he acknowledged that geopolitical tensions would influence the discussion.
The agenda for Thursday included sessions on food security, development cooperation, terrorism, and humanitarian aid, reflecting India’s priorities while it retains the G20 presidency.
Before the talks, a former Indian diplomat told that India would need to “do something extraordinary” to convince delegates to set aside their differences regarding the conflict. India’s ability to construct a consensus was also anticipated to be tested by strained relations between the United States and China, which has refused to oppose Russia’s invasion.
Foreign Minister Jaishankar was forced to present a chair’s summary after Thursday’s meetings. It is indicating that participants were unable to agree on a joint statement. Russia and China were the only nations that refused to condemn the conflict.
However, India was able to achieve its primary goal of advocating for the Global South. As Mr. Jaishankar noted, “we were able to get an outcome document on the majority of issues.”
There are still several months remaining for diplomacy before the September G20 summit. And Delhi will be hoping that its presidency does not end on a disappointing note.
Experts say Delhi had to balance its nonaligned war policy with pleas to other nations to cooperate.
India has resisted the pressure and maintained its policy of not explicitly criticizing Russia, the country’s largest arms supplier. It has consistently abstained from voting on UN resolutions condemning the conflict in Ukraine. Including a vote at the UN General Assembly last week.
It has also defended its decision to import more Russian crude, citing the need to care for its people.
However, previous statements on Ukraine, it has emphasized the significance of “the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.”
