G20 meeting to end without joint communique as Russia and China block use of term "war"

The meeting of finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the Group of 20 (G20), hosted by India, is likely to end later in the day without a joint communique because there is no consensus on how to describe the conflict in Ukraine.

Source: Reuters, reported by European Pravda

Details: The United States and its allies in the Group of Seven (G7) industrial powers have been adamant in demanding that the communique squarely condemn Russia for the invasion of its neighbour, which has been opposed by the Russian and Chinese delegations, they said.

Russia, a member of the G20 but not the G7, refers to its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation", and avoids calling it an invasion or war.

India is pressing the meeting to avoid using the word "war" in any communique, G20 officials have told Reuters. India, which holds this year's G20 presidency, has kept a largely neutral stance on the war, declining to blame Russia for the invasion, seeking a diplomatic solution and sharply boosting its purchases of Russian oil.

Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy and Finance of France, has stated that the G20 cannot step back from the joint communique made at the G20 Summit on Bali in November 2022 where it is said that "the majority of members decisively condemn the war in Ukraine", but he has also admitted that some countries see this conflict differently. 

"Either we speak the same language, or we do not sign the final communique," Le Maire told the journalists on Friday. 

Christian Lindner, German Federal Minister of Finance, has stated at the meeting on Friday that G20 must not step back from its previous criticism of Russia. "We need absolute clarity, this is the war initiated by Putin," he said. 

A senior G20 source said negotiations over the communique were difficult, with Russia and China blocking proposals by Western countries. "India wants to hold on to the terms established on Bali," a source said. 

The source and several other officials said barring a last-minute surprise, a consensus on the communique was unlikely and that the meeting was likely to end with a statement by the host summarising the discussions.

"In the absence of a consensus, the option for India would be to issue a chair statement," one official said.

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