G20 countries could not agree on a joint statement because of the position on the war in Ukraine. China and Russia were against it

Author:
Oleksiy Yarmolenko
Date:

The foreign ministers of the G20 countries could not agree on a joint statement because of their position on the war in Ukraine. China and Russia opposed it.

This was reported on the official page of Indiaʼs G20 presidency on Twitter.

Since the countries did not agree on a joint statement, India had to publish its own summaries of the ministerial discussions.

They pointed out that the war in Ukraine continues to have a negative impact on the world economy, and the vast majority of countries in the world support the territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemn Russian aggression. This is confirmed by votes in the UN.

"The majority of members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and emphasized that it is causing enormous human suffering and exacerbating the existing vulnerabilities of the world economy — holding back growth, exacerbating inflation, disrupting supply chains, weakening energy and food security, and increasing risks to financial stability. There were also other views and different assessments regarding the situation and sanctions," the document says.

In addition, the document states that all countries of the world must respect international law and not violate the UN Charter. Threats with nuclear weapons are also unacceptable.

Under these points, which are set out in the Indian document, it is indicated that, as at the G20 leadersʼ summit in Indonesia in the fall of 2022, all countries except Russia and China agreed to such wording.

Also, on the sidelines of the summit, a meeting was held between the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Serhei Lavrov, and the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. They had a very short conversation — less than 10 minutes. This is their first communication since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to the American representative, Blinken touched on three topics in his conversation with Lavrov: the war in Ukraine, the SNO-3 agreement and the release of the American Paul Whelan from a Russian prison.