Joint Declaration – Compromise in the G20 dispute over the war in Ukraine

Moscow has therefore ensured that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is no longer explicitly condemned, as was the case last year. Instead, reference is now made only to relevant United Nations resolutions.

Nuclear weapons threats are under criticism
The West, on the other hand, has negotiated a formulation according to which all states must refrain from attacks on the territorial integrity or political independence of other states. Moreover, Russia’s nuclear weapons threats are again being criticized, at least indirectly. “The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” says the text, which is available to the German news agency. It was proposed by India along with South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia.

What will be particularly important for Moscow is that the text also addresses Russian demands to relax Western sanctions. It said there is a call to ensure the “immediate and unhindered supply of grain, food and fertilizers/additives from the Russian Federation and Ukraine.” This is necessary to meet the needs of developing countries, especially those in Africa.

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, who was represented in New Delhi by his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, recently canceled an agreement to transport Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea, citing Western sanctions on his country. He says the punitive measures also hinder the transport of Russian food and fertilizer to other parts of the world.

A tough battle over formulations
Delegations had previously reported that there had been a fierce battle between negotiators over the wording. According to the information, the West was confronted with an alliance of China and Russia. Beijing is considered Moscow’s most important international partner and has not yet condemned the war of aggression against Ukraine. Due to the dispute, it was unclear whether, as usual, there would be a joint final statement from the participants.

Another point of contention was whether the 2026 G20 summit would take place in the United States or elsewhere. According to diplomats, the US had the upper hand over China. The summit will take place in Brazil next year, and in South Africa in 2025.

At the previous G20 summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in 2022, Moscow, apparently under pressure from China, agreed to include the sentence in the final statement: “Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.” Russia’s position was expressed by saying: “There were different views and different assessments of the situation and the sanctions.”

Japanese Foreign Minister in Ukraine
Meanwhile, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi makes a surprise visit to Ukraine. As Japan’s Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday, the unannounced visit is intended to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Japan, in line with the West, has imposed sanctions on Russia and supports Ukraine. However, the pacifist constitution does not allow Japan to supply weapons to Ukraine. It is the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister to Ukraine since Moscow began its war of invasion in February last year.

According to British military experts, the capabilities of the Russian invasion forces in Ukraine are being limited by the progress made in the course of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. This was evident from the daily intelligence report of the British Ministry of Defense on Saturday. It is very likely that Moscow has gathered troops from other parts of the front in the area around the city of Robotyne, where the Ukrainians had previously managed to break through the multi-layered Russian defense lines. “These troop transfers are likely to limit Russia’s ability to conduct its own offensive operations in other parts of the front,” the statement continued.