'Era not of war': G20 declaration uses Modi's words in call for diplomacy

Summit leaders deplored Russia's war in Ukraine 'in the strongest terms'

Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) nations deplored Russia's aggression in Ukraine "in the strongest terms" on Wednesday, adopting in their declaration words Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used before in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The declaration at the two-day G20 summit in Indonesia’s Bali settled for a majority position and not a unanimous voice on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It said that "most members" condemned the war, the focus of discussion among G20 leaders.

"The peaceful resolution of conflict efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue are vital. Today's era must not be of war," said the declaration at the end of the summit.

At a bilateral meeting with Putin in September at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan, Modi told the Russian leader the “era of war” is over. The statement was well received in Europe, which regards India as a close strategic partner of Russia.

Separately, some non-Western powers, such as Saudi Arabia and South Africa, close to Russia seized another comment Modi made at the Uzbekistan event. He had said the world was grappling with food and energy crises that were hurting developing countries.

G20’s use of Modi's words in the summit declaration shows India's foreign policy has found resonance among nations, diplomatic sources said.

The declaration said the threat of nuclear war is inadmissible, rebuking Russia and possibly hinting at US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s agreement on the issue.

Divisions remain

While most G20 nations called for peace and diplomacy, differences in national positions remain on the Ukraine war and geopolitical efforts to contain Russia.

This was on display throughout the declaration’s text. "Most members strongly condemn the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy--constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks," it said.

It added that there will be other views and assessments of the situation and Western sanctions on Russia.

The document said members recognised that security issues can have consequences for the global economy, but G20 is not the forum to resolve security issues.

Sources said that a call to outrightly condemn Russia faced opposition from some nations initially. But the incident of suspected Russian missiles hitting a farm in Poland and killing two people changed the tone of the discussions.

Biden called an emergency meeting of G7 nations on the side lines immediately afterwards. It was later reported that the missiles may not have been from Russia, and were instead shot by Ukraine to intercept Russian attacks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s exit from the G20 summit on Tuesday evening may have also influenced the strong wording of the final document.

India assumes G20 presidency

India took over the annual presidency of the G20 at the end of the Bali summit, said the country’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Prime Minister Modi said India’s presidency will focus on the needs of developing nations and it will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented.

He will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Germany, Italy, Indonesia, Australia, United Kingdom, and Singapore on Wednesday.