G20 Summit: Draft on Ukraine crisis likely to finally get approval

India is learnt to have finally managed to get a revised statement passed by the members of the G20 member states relating to the Ukraine crisis, after hectic efforts that extended well into Saturday morning.

A draft of the declaration of the G20 member states had left the point on the ‘geopolitical situation’ (the Ukraine crisis) blank as some had objected to it. The ‘sherpas’ (personal representatives of G20 leaders) are believed to have sat through meetings till early Saturday to agree to hammer out a way to issue a joint communique to be issued at the end of the summit.

The negotiators had finalised an agreement on 75 other paragraphs of the draft, but Ukraine was the contentious one that lacked support from all.

The negotiators from G20 states had hammered out an agreement on 75 paragraphs in the draft, which included issues such as financing for climate transition, reform of multilateral development banks and regulation of cryptocurrency, the people said.

Unnamed sources were quoted in the media of having confirmed that a draft circulated by India on the Ukraine issue is finally likely to get the approval.

Western members of the G-7 wanted a strong condemnation of the “Russian invasion of Ukraine,” which was objected to by Russia and China. The latter had opposed to any references to Ukraine as the group was an economic forum, which should not take up other issues. The draft that India circulated late on Friday night is learnt to have satisfied all sides. The key issue is whether to refer to it as the ‘war in Ukraine’, or the ‘war against Ukraine.’

Amitabh Kant, the Indian G20 Sherpa, said that the joint declaration was almost ready and would be presented to the leaders soon.

Both Russia and China have not been represented at the summit by their heads – Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, and Xi Jinping, his counterpart. Li Qiang, the prime minister, is representing China, while Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister is there on behalf of Russia at the summit.

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