G20 Leaders Reach Consensus on Ukraine War Condemnation, Despite Varied Assessments
By At the last G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022, world leaders reached a consensus to strongly condemn the war in Ukraine, with some member countries holding “other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions”. French finance minister Bruno Le Maire told a news conference that his country will oppose any “step back” from the denunciation of Russia’s actions in the Bali Summit’s declaration.[0] He insisted that there must be a “clear condemnation of the…illegal and brutal attack by Russia”.[1]
Now, at the G20 meeting of finance ministers, Indian officials are seeking to avoid using the word “war” when referring to the conflict in Ukraine.[2] Instead, they are looking to use words like “crisis” in any joint statement. This is in contrast to the consensus reached in Bali last November, when the G20 leaders strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine is not just a regional conflict, but a global one.[0] This was echoed by European countries, who confirmed their commitment to impose new sanctions against Russia.[0] Furthermore, the G20 debt restructuring talks were also affected by the disagreements between the finance chiefs.[3]
Overall, the G20 leaders’ statement in Bali last November was a strong condemnation of the war in Ukraine, while recognizing the different views and assessments from the member countries. India is now at the “driving seat” in negotiations, and French finance minister Bruno Le Maire has expressed full trust in the country to achieve a strong communique.[0]
0. “At G20, Language Used To Describe Russia-Ukraine War Splits Leaders” NDTV, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/at-g20-language-used-to-describe-russia-ukraine-war-splits-leaders-3812411
1. “No stepping back from condemnation of Russia in G20 communique, says France” Hindustan Times, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/no-stepping-back-from-condemnation-of-russia-in-g20-communique-says-france-101677255736176.html
2. “G-20 Host India Resists Calling Russia's War a ‘War'” Bloomberg, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-22/india-doesn-t-want-to-call-russia-s-war-a-war-at-g-20
3. “Debt Restructuring Talks at G-20 Meeting Make Little Headway” Yahoo! Voices, 25 Feb. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/now/debt-restructuring-talks-g-20-064741927.html
