Last Sunday, Russia welcomed the results of the G20 summit in New Delhi, where the group of the world’s major economies stopped directly criticizing Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
“The text [final da cimeira] makes no reference to Russia,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference in New Delhi at the end of the summit.
Lavrov said Russia has managed to “prevent the West’s attempts to ‘Ukrainize’ the summit’s agendaaccording to the French agency AFP.
G20 leaders, divided over what stance to take on Russia’s war against Ukraine, made no mention of “Russian aggression” in the final text.
“We call on all states to respect the principles of international law, including territorial integrity and sovereignty,” they said in the text.
“The peaceful resolution of conflicts and efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue, are fundamental,” the G20 leaders added.
The statement issued by G20 leaders after last year’s summit in Bali, Indonesia, included a paragraph in which the majority of members “strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.”
The lack of criticism of Russia in New Delhi’s statement was regretted by Ukraine on Saturday.
“The G20 has nothing to be proud of,” said Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko.
Lavrov said at the press conference that “the Indian presidency has really succeeded in uniting the G20 participants representing the global South,” according to Spanish news agency EFE.
The minister said the G20 is immersed in a process of “internal reforms” of affirmation by countries in the global South, indicating that Brazil, South Africa, India and China have managed to make themselves heard in New Delhi.
“The members of the G20 from the South (…) strove very clearly and persistently to have their interests taken into account in the agreements discussed in the G20 and were, as a result, included in the declaration.” he claimed.
Lavrov represented Putin, who is under an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of war crimes in Ukraine.
Another relevant absence in New Delhi was that of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who was represented by Prime Minister Li Qiang.
The G20 brings together Germany, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, the United States, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
The African Union was admitted to the group on Saturday.
Brazil succeeds India in the rotating presidency of the G20.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva announced in New Delhi that he will invite Putin to the 2014 Rio de Janeiro summit, and that the Russian leader will not be detained.
“If I am president of Brazil and he comes to Brazil, there is no reason to arrest him,” he stated.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, unleashing a war with no end in sight.
The number of civilian and military casualties from Russia’s war against Ukraine is unknown, but several sources, including the UN, admit that it will be very high.
Source: DN
