This Sunday, Russia celebrated the results of the G20 summit, held in New Delhi, in which the group of the world’s main economies stopped directly criticizing Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine.
“The text [final da cimeira] does not make any reference to Russia,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference in New Delhi at the end of the summit.
Lavrov stated that Russia managed to “prevent the West’s attempts to ‘Ukrainize’ the summit agenda,” according to the French agency AFP.
G20 leaders, who were divided over what attitude to take toward Russia’s war against Ukraine, did not mention “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.
“Pacific conflict resolution and efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue, are essential,” the G20 leaders added.
The statement that G20 leaders issued after last year’s summit in Bali, Indonesia, included a paragraph in which most members “strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.”
Ukraine on Saturday deplored the absence of criticism of Russia in the New Delhi statement.
“The G20 has nothing to be proud of,” reacted Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko.
Lavrov stated at the press conference that “the Indian presidency has really managed to unite the G20 participants representing the global South,” according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
The minister affirmed that the G20 is immersed in a process of “internal reform” of affirmation of the countries of the global South, suggesting that Brazil, South Africa, India and China managed to make themselves heard in New Delhi.
“The members of the G20 from the South (…) sought very clearly and persistently to have their interests taken into account in the agreements that were discussed at the G20 and, as a result, they were included in the declaration,” he said.
Lavrov represented Putin, who is the subject of 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 the 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 summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2014 and that the Russian leader will not be detained.
“If I am president of Brazil and he comes to Brazil, there is no reason for him to be arrested,” he said.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, triggering a war with no end in sight.
The number of civilian and military casualties from the Russian war against Ukraine is unknown, but several sources, including the UN, admit that it will be very high.
Source: TSF
