NEW DELHI--The G20 summit in New Delhi ended on Sunday as India handed over the bloc presidency to Brazil, while both the U.S. and Russia praised a consensus that did not condemn Moscow for the war in Ukraine but called on members to shun the use of force.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the group's leaders to hold a virtual meeting in November to review progress on policy suggestions and goals announced at the weekend. "It is our responsibility to look at the suggestions that have been made to see how progress can be accelerated," he said in a statement. On Saturday, the group adopted a Leaders' Declaration that avoided condemning Russia for the war but highlighted the human suffering the conflict had caused and called on all states not to use force to grab territory. The consensus came as a surprise. In the weeks leading to the summit, sharply differing views on the war had threatened to derail the meeting, with Western nations demanding members call out Moscow for the invasion and Russia saying it would block any resolution that did not reflect its position.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the head of the Russian delegation, said the summit was a success for India as well as the Global South, the world's developing countries. The Global South's position in the talks helped prevent the G20 agenda from being overshadowed by Ukraine, he told a press conference. "India has truly consolidated G20 members from the Global South." White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the summit declaration "does a very good job of standing up for the principle that states cannot use force to seek territorial acquisition or to violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of other states."
Germany and Britain have also praised the resolution, but Ukraine said "it was nothing to be proud of." French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that the G20, which was founded to solve international economic issues, was not necessarily the place to expect diplomatic progress on the war in Ukraine. However, he said the G20 declaration was not a diplomatic victory for Russia. "This G20 confirms once again the isolation of Russia. Today, an overwhelming majority of G20 members condemn the war in Ukraine and its impact," Macron told a press conference after the closing ceremony of the summit. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said: "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is something that could shake the foundation of cooperation at G20. "Also, that is having a major impact on the global economy through such developments as continued increases in food and energy prices." Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has left tens of thousands dead, displaced millions and sown economic turmoil across the world.
Moscow, which says it is conducting a "special military operation" there, denies committing any atrocities. The summit also admitted the African Union, which includes 55 member states, as a permanent member of the G20, underlining the bloc's inclusivity of more developing countries. Addressing food security concerns, Lavrov said Russia would return to the Black Sea deal that lets Ukraine export grain if Moscow's demands were met. Moscow pulled out of the agreement in July over what it called a failure to meet its demands to implement a parallel agreement easing rules for its own food and fertiliser export. The summit document had called for the safe flow of grain, food and fertiliser from both Ukraine and Russia. Russia, Ukraine and Turkey are going to continue to discuss the grain deal, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said, saying that reviving the agreement was "not hopeless".
