G20 delegates reach compromise on Russia-Ukraine conflict language as leaders begin summit
- The final wording could be similar to the language in the communique issued at the 2022 summit, which noted divergent views amid condemnation of the invasion
- The African Union has been granted permanent membership in an effort to make the G20 more representative
Delegates from the world’s most powerful countries have reached a compromise on language to describe the war in Ukraine, a source with knowledge of the discussions said, as their leaders began the annual G20 summit on Saturday in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of host India inaugurated the meeting by calling on members to end a “global trust deficit” and announced that the bloc was granting permanent membership to the African Union in an effort to make it more representative.
“Today, as the president of G20, India calls upon the entire world to first convert this global trust deficit into one trust and one confidence,” he said. “It is time for all of us to move together.”
The group is deeply divided over the war in Ukraine, with Western nations pushing for strong condemnation of Russia while others are demanding a focus on broader economic issues.
The sherpas, or country representatives, have reached a compromise on the language to be used in the final communique, which will be presented to the leaders, the source with knowledge of the negotiations said.
No details were immediately available, but it could be similar to the language in the communique issued in Indonesia at the 2022 summit, which noted that while most nations condemned Russia for the invasion, there were also divergent views.
At the start of the day, US President Joe Biden and other leaders of the Group of 20 were driven through deserted streets to a new, $300 million conch-shaped convention centre called Bharat Mandapam, opposite a 16th-century stone fort, for the two-day summit.