Negotiators at the G20 Summit encountered difficulties in resolving disagreements over the wording of the summit declaration concerning the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. According to a draft document seen by Reuters, the 38-page draft circulated among member nations left the paragraph on the “geopolitical situation” blank, while agreement had been reached on the other 75 paragraphs covering topics such as climate change, cryptocurrencies, and reforms in multilateral development banks.
The G20 sherpas, responsible for negotiations, have been grappling with language disputes for several days, particularly due to differences related to the war in Ukraine. The hope was to engage Russia in producing a communique on this issue.
India’s G20 sherpa, Amitabh Kant, stated that the “New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration is almost ready,” but it remains uncertain whether it will achieve unanimous agreement. The final declaration may contain paragraphs reflecting the views of different countries or record both agreement and dissent in a single paragraph.
One source suggested that a general statement promoting peace and harmony across the world could be used to paper over the differences if a unanimous agreement could not be reached.
According to a senior source from a G20 country, Western nations had reached an agreement on the paragraphs related to the Ukraine conflict and had submitted them to Russia for input. Russia has the option to accept the Western countries’ views and include its dissent as part of the statement. In the absence of an agreement, India may have to issue a chair statement, marking the first time in 20 years of G20 summits that a declaration would not be issued.
While India is making efforts to seek compromises, some sources indicate that Russia’s stance remains a stumbling block, preventing a compromise acceptable to other G20 members.
The G20 Summit, taking place over two days in New Delhi, is expected to be dominated by discussions led by Western nations and their allies. The absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin from the meeting further highlights the challenges in addressing the Ukraine conflict.
The draft document did not mention a fossil fuel phase-down, and discussions on this topic are expected to be challenging during the summit.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on G20 leaders to take significant steps to address the escalating climate crisis and to reshape global financial rules, which he described as outdated and unfair. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine remains a central focus of the summit discussions, with efforts to reach consensus ongoing.
