Negotiation efforts help G20 reach joint statement

After 200 hours of negotiations, 300 meetings and 15 drafts, G20 members finally reached a consensus statement on the Ukraine conflict.

On the night of September 8, just before the G20 summit opened in New Delhi, India, delegations of members of the group of the world's richest economies still could not reach a consensus on how to mention the Ukraine issue in the joint statement.

In the draft joint statement, the reference to the “ geopolitical situation” remained blank. European countries wanted to use strong language to condemn Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, but Russia and China opposed any mention of hostilities. The Chinese delegation also objected to a reference to the US holding the G20 presidency in 2026, but without success.

The G20 now faces a difficult choice: accept a mildly worded joint statement on the Ukraine conflict, or no joint statement at all. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had previously said that Moscow would block the G20 summit's joint statement if it did not include Russia's position on the Ukraine conflict.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) with G20 leaders in New Delhi on September 10. Photo: AFP — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) with G20 leaders in New Delhi on September 10. Photo: *AFP*

Four diplomats involved in the discussions described the process of reaching the joint statement as quite difficult. Negotiations between the delegations lasted for more than 200 hours, with 15 drafts of the joint statement being drawn up.

The dispute over Ukraine was seen as the most complicated part of the negotiations. Russian and Chinese officials repeatedly sought to remove harsh language about the campaign in Ukraine from the document. Some drafts of the joint statement did not even contain any reference to the conflict.

Representatives of some developing countries in the G20, which support maintaining relations with Moscow, also showed disagreement on using strong words to criticize Russia, causing the negotiations to drag on.

In the days leading up to the G20 summit, proposed draft joint statements did not contain language similar to the statement in Bali, Indonesia last year.

At the summit in Bali, the G20 reached a last-minute joint statement after much controversy, in which the majority of member countries condemned Russia's war in Ukraine and demanded Moscow's unconditional withdrawal.

Just before midnight on September 8, diplomats said compromise was the only option, lest the G20 summit end for the first time in history without a joint statement.

"This is not a statement that the G7 or NATO would draft. This is a completely different story and the expectations are different," said a European official involved in the discussions.

Even French President Emmanuel Macron seemed to acknowledge this. “Let’s face it, the G20 is not a forum for political discussions,” he said in New Delhi, suggesting the group’s summit was more suited to talks on the economy and climate change.

By the morning of September 9, as time was running out, Indian officials presented a draft joint statement that included a softer-language mention of the war in Ukraine. Leaders approved the document, hoping to avoid public rifts within the G20 that could undermine the group’s credibility and embarrass Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this year’s G20 host.

The G20 leaders' joint statement reaffirmed concerns about the war in Ukraine, but did not directly criticize Russia. Instead, the document called on "all states to act in accordance with the purposes and principles set out in the Charter of the United Nations" and opposed "the threat or use of force to seize territory or violate the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of other states."

The joint statement acknowledged that the Ukraine issue still has "different views and assessments" among G20 members, but agreed that the contemporary era cannot accept war.

The White House hailed the joint statement as “important” and “unprecedented.” They pointed out that even without explicitly mentioning the Russian campaign, it persuaded neutral countries like Brazil and South Africa to agree to maintain territorial integrity and prevent attacks on infrastructure.

Host India hailed the deal as a diplomatic triumph reached 24 hours before the summit ended. "Bali is Bali. New Delhi is New Delhi. Bali was a year ago. The situation is different. A lot has happened since then," Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said.

G20 leaders at the meeting on September 10 in New Delhi. Photo: AFP — G20 leaders at the meeting on September 10 in New Delhi. Photo: *AFP*

Behind the scenes, officials have also noted the importance of this year’s G20 in elevating Mr. Modi as a global statesman. If the summit ends without a joint statement, it would be a major disappointment, unprecedented in 15 years.

The US and Europe have sought to bolster Mr Modi’s international standing in an effort to strengthen ties with India, which is seen as a motivation for them to “soften” the language in the joint statement to avoid criticising Russia.

"We were able to prevent Western attempts to Ukrainianize the summit agenda. The joint statement did not mention Russia at all," Foreign Minister Lavrov said, declaring the G20 summit a success.

Thanh Tam (According to CNN, Guardian, WSJ )

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