G20 ministerial meeting without joint statement as members disagree on Ukraine war
The meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) economics and finance ministers in Gandhinagar, India, will end without a joint final statement since the participants failed to agree on wording to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reports.
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India, which holds the G20 presidency this year, was hoping for a statement acceptable to all members on reforming multinational banking systems, a global approach to cryptocurrencies, and accelerating debt settlement for vulnerable countries.
However, disagreements between most countries and Russia with China made any such move impossible, per Reuters.
According to an Indian official who spoke on condition of anonymity, most Western countries, including the US, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, insisted on strongly condemning Russia and its invasion of Ukraine.
India, the official said, took a largely neutral stance, refusing to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and calling for a ‘diplomatic solution’ while also increasing purchases of discounted oil from Russia.
The meeting in Gandhinagar was the third under India's G20 presidency. It has so far failed to get participants to agree on a joint statement in any of the key areas.
Earlier, the Group of Seven finance ministers reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine that has been fighting against Russian aggression.