What led to the step-down in the G20 Ukraine declaration?
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Leaders at the G20 summit released a declaration regarding Ukraine that did not hold any explicit mention of Russia, something that the Ukrainian President called "nothing to be proud of."
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov listens during the ASEAN Australia-New Zealand Trade Area in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 13, 2022. (AP)
According to CNN, more than a dozen drafts led to the watered-down language used to formulate the G20 declaration regarding Ukraine.
At the New Delhi Summit Declaration on Saturday, the G20 leaders released a statement with different views on the war in Ukraine, but they jointly called for respect for the UN Charter.
Leaders at the G20 summit released a declaration regarding Ukraine that did not hold any explicit mention of Russia, prompting criticism from Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.
In their statement, the G20 stressed that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be abided by, especially regarding the war, noting that the G20 is not the platform to "resolve geopolitical and security issues."
The final document on the meeting of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors was adopted without condemning Russia's "special military operation in Ukraine" after Beijing and Moscow objected to the issue, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Saturday.
G20 not a 'forum for political discussions'
Four diplomats who participated in the negotiations recounted a painful process that ended in a disappointing declaration to Ukraine sympathizers.
According to the Indian government officer in charge of the negotiations, the talks lasted 200 hours and included 15 distinct drafts. A European official involved in the talks stated to CNN that the statement is not one that would have been written by the G7 or NATO, citing that expectations "have to be different."
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the G20 was not a "forum for political discussions," citing it as a more favorable platform for climate change or the economy.
US President Joe Biden stated the declaration was "a wedge issue with Russia, which is present, and China, which is present and has a representative."
Another reason why the language of the statement was so mild is due to leaders being conscious of the significance of this year's G20 in raising Modi as a global statesman.
According to sources, the US and Europe have attempted to develop Modi as a partner and boost his position in the global arena, making the thought of blocking a final unified statement harder to swallow.
Ukraine slams G20 statement as 'nothing to be proud of'
Kiev criticized the G20 leaders' statement on the war, which denounced the "use of force for territorial gain" but refrained from direct criticism of Russia by name.
"Ukraine is grateful to the partners who tried to include strong wording in the text. At the same time, in terms of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the Group of 20 has nothing to be proud of," said Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
Nikolenko posted a photo of a part of the statement edited in red, changing "the war in Ukraine" to "the war against Ukraine" and adding references to Russia.
G20 adopted a final declaration. We are grateful to the partners who tried to include strong wording in the text. However, in terms of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, G20 has nothing to be proud of. This is how the main elements of the text could look to be closer to reality pic.twitter.com/qZqYluVKKS
— Oleg Nikolenko (@OlegNikolenko_) September 9, 2023
The document called on "all states" to "refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state."
Downplaying the impact of the declaration, Nikolenko said, "It's obvious that the Ukraine's participation (in the meeting) would allow the participants to better understand the situation."
