Ukraine conflict may cast a shadow on G20

The finance ministers’ meeting was a portend of this strain, and New Delhi will have to move deftly to address it.

The meeting of the G20 finance ministers (FMs) last week in Bengaluru hinted that widening rifts between the world’s most powerful countries on the Ukraine war may generate potential headwinds during India’s presidency. The meeting ended without a joint communique after China and Russia opposed the inclusion of text condemning the war in Ukraine, and the rest of the countries failed to come to an agreement. India, as president, issued a chair’s summary. Nirmala Sitharaman said the draft communique included two paragraphs on the Ukraine crisis – reproduced from the Indonesia G20 summit – but Beijing and Moscow didn’t agree to this. The two countries felt that the meeting was not the right place to include language about the war, but the other 18 nations felt that such language was essential. Earlier, French FM Bruno Le Maire and his German counterpart Christian Lindner insisted any joint communique must refer to the Ukraine “war”, stressing that any draft statement shouldn’t dilute the language from last year’s declaration that denounced Russia’s actions.

Nirmala Sitharaman said the draft communique included two paragraphs on the Ukraine crisis – reproduced from the Indonesia G20 summit – but Beijing and Moscow didn’t agree to this. (AFP)

India started its presidency by highlighting its agenda of development, declining economic growth, inflation, reduced demand for goods and services, rise in the cost of food, fuel and fertilisers, and indebtedness – issues that adversely affected the Global South, even as the developed world was locked in geopolitical conflict in Eurasia. But its ambition of acting as a bridge between the developed and developing worlds may face a challenge in the form of increasing great power contestation. The FMs’ meeting was a portend of this strain, and New Delhi will have to move deftly to address it.