India pushes Russia, China on consensus on war wording

BLOOMBERG

Russia’s war in Ukraine is expected to dominate discussions at the Group of 20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi as the conflict enters its second year.
A meeting of the grouping’s finance ministers and central bank heads over the weekend failed to reach a consensus on the language to describe Russia’s aggressions in Ukraine, forcing host India to issue a chair’s summary instead of a traditional joint communiqué. Russia and China deviated from the language agreed to in Bali, Indonesia, objecting to the use of the word ‘war,’ India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said after the finance heads’ meeting ended.
A senior Indian official said New Delhi is seeking to convince Moscow and Beijing to go along with a consensus on describing Russia’s war in Ukraine, similar to the one reached by leaders of the G-20 in November. Then, the joint declaration referred to the “war in Ukraine” but not “Russia’s war in Ukraine” to get as many leaders to sign off as possible.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly raised the recent tax investigation at the BBC’s India offices during his bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The meeting took place ahead of the G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting.
The New Delhi and Mumbai offices of the British broadcaster were searched by Indian tax officials last month for alleged violations. India’s External Affairs Ministry and the British High Commission in New Delhi did not immediately respond to text messages seeking comments.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is set to attend a get-together of top diplomats from the so-called Quad nations hosted by India after he skipped a G-20 meeting in New Delhi to be present at a parliamentary committee in Tokyo.
Hayashi gained parliamentary approval allowing him to attend a Friday meeting of Quad nations that also includes the US and Australia, Kyodo News reported. Japan dispatched a deputy minister to attend the meeting of foreign ministers.
India should convince Russia, through its diplomatic efforts, that its war in Ukraine must end, a senior European Union official said, asking not to be named.
The war has to be condemned, the official added, likely signaling to New Delhi and other countries that have stayed neutral on Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
At a media briefing ahead of the ministers’ meeting, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Russia’s war in Ukraine would be part of the discussions. However, New Delhi “cannot prejudge the outcome of the foreign ministers’ meeting.”
India stands behind the final statement that emerged from last year’s leaders’ summit in Indonesia, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi added.
Russia will press its longstanding case to “constructive colleagues in the G-20” to break the dollar and weaken sanctions, according to a statement from its foreign ministry ahead of the meeting.
“The entire world is suffering from the cynical revelry of illegal sanctions, the artificial breakup of cross-border supply chains, the imposition of notorious price ceilings and, in effect, from attempts to steal natural resources,” the statement said, adding that Moscow will discuss in detail its plans to “diversify foreign economic ties and logistics corridors.”