India aiming for balanced G20 statement reflecting Russia’s concerns on Ukraine

India wants to incorporate concerns of Russia and China while forming a statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the G20 forum, Reuters reported Thursday quoting some Indian government sources.

The two-day G20 summit in New Delhi will kick off on September 9 without the presence of Russian and Chinese leaders, but world leaders including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to attend.

However, the bloc has remained divided over the Ukraine crisis, with Western nations pushing for harsher language in the joint statement.

Russia has threatened to block the joint communiqué if it fails to reflect its ‘concerns.’

India’s argument

New Delhi has firmly taken this stance that the G20 forum is not the place for geopolitics and that the joint statement must reflect the concerns of China and Russia.

"As long as everyone endorses the structure of the document, that is a consensus. We are trying for a situation that everyone including Russia, G7 and China are happy that their views are there," one of the Indian officials said.

The other way around is to release a more general statement, another official was quoted as saying by Reuters.

New Delhi G20: India’s best chance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India has stressed using the opportunity of hosting the G20 summit to better reflect the country’s rising stature on the world stage.

If it manages to have all members agree on the joint statement, it would be considered a major diplomatic win for the country.

However, it fails to produce a joint statement; it would be for the first time in the summit’s history, and would also raise questions on the group’s viability.

"It would certainly lead to a crisis of confidence in the Group," said Creon Butler, director of the Global Economy and Finance.

West raises objections on India’s G20 draft

Earlier it was reported that some European nations have raised objections to text drafted by India on the Russia-Ukraine war.

In a press briefing held Wednesday, a senior EU official said they were still seeking common grounds with India to agree on a joint statement.

Watch:G20 Summit 2023: US President to arrive in India on September 7

The EU official said that there had been very tough negotiations, especially on geopolitical issues like Ukraine, adding "The text, as it is presented by India, is not enough. The G7, the EU, and its member countries feel it is not going far enough".

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