G20 Summit 2023: World leaders echo for resolution of Russia-Ukraine war; Moscow picks up on the ‘hypocrisy’ of the West

G20 Summit 2023: Amid rising tensions over the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, top diplomats from G-20 countries attended the much-awaited inter-governmental conference in India’s national capital New Delhi on Thursday. Although the theme of the ongoing summit was LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment), the agenda was influenced by the ongoing war.

In a video address to foreign ministers gathered in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged them not to allow current tensions to destroy agreements that could be reached on food and energy security, climate change and debt. “We all have our own positions and our perspectives on how these tensions should be resolved,” he said, adding, “We should not allow issues that we cannot resolve together arise.”

While several countries advocated for New Delhi to force Moscow to start peace talks with its neighbour, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for ignoring the concerns raised by the G20 countries. put.

Here are the major developments in the G20 Summit 2023:

United States: Antony Blinken

The meeting, at one point, appeared to be tense as Blinken raised the issue of energy and food security due to ongoing “Russia’s aggression” against Ukraine. He clearly told the ministers that Russia’s war with Ukraine could not go unchallenged. “We must continue to call on Russia to end its war of aggression and withdraw from Ukraine for the sake of international peace and economic stability,” Blinken said.

He noted that 141 countries had voted to condemn Russia at the United Nations on the one-year anniversary of the invasion. Although Blinken met separately with the foreign ministers of Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria and South Africa, he appeared to be in no mood to have any in-person meetings with his Russian or Chinese counterparts.

China: Qin Gang

Speaking at the event, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang underlined the importance of the summit and echoed his country’s position on Ukraine. He said China would promote peace talks and said it would like to mediate talks between Moscow and the war-torn country.

“No one should engage in power politics or bloc confrontation. We need to practice true multilateralism, uphold the UN-centred international system and the international order based on international law and underpinned by the objectives and principles of international The basic norms of relations need to be followed.” of the United Nations Charter. We need to adhere to the principles of dialogue on an equal footing and build consensus through consultation,” Qin said.

Russia: Sergey Lavrov

Addressing the summit, Lavrov also criticized his American counterpart and expressed serious concern over the West’s intent in the ongoing “special military operations”. The Russian foreign minister underlined that the Biden administration is forcing Kiev to join the “operation” because it wants to run its arms industry.

Furthermore, he raised the issue of the recent Nord Stream pipeline explosion and claimed that the US is using its diplomatic channels to hide facts and avoid punishment.

“We are witnessing a deterioration in international economic relations instigated by the West, their transformation into a weapon, including in the energy sector. […] According to Sputnik news agency, we insist on a fair and speedy investigation of the terrorist attack with the involvement of Russia and other relevant people.

“They [Western countries] In this context, it also refused to accept another fact, which reflects the events that have happened since then. I’m talking about the terrorist act against the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Our proposal to include in the document the requirement for a fair and honest investigation was categorically rejected by our Western partners,” he said.

India: S Jaishankar

In his remarks at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, without mentioning the Ukraine dispute, said the grouping should find common ground and provide direction to the world, though there are some “sharp differences of opinion”. “Let us remind ourselves that this group bears an extraordinary responsibility. We first came together in the midst of a global crisis and today, once again, are in fact facing more than one,” he said.

During the meeting, he stressed on urgent reforms in the National Security Council (UNSC) of the United States of America. “The number of members of the United Nations has quadrupled over this period. This reflects neither today’s politics, economics, demographics or aspirations. Since 2005 we have heard that a sense of reform is being expressed at the highest level.

“But as we all know, these are not material. The reasons are also not secret. The longer we put it off, the eroder the credibility of multilateralism. If global decision-making for the future is to be democratized It must be democratized.

The External Affairs Minister said that the G20 countries “individually and collectively” have an obligation to contribute to international growth and prosperity. “Today’s situation demands that we continue to live up to our international responsibilities. The G20 must be sensitive to the priorities and economic concerns of all our partners, especially those who are more vulnerable,” he said.

(with inputs from agencies)

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