China and Russia block G20 communique condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine – Reuters

Reuters sources note that the United States and its G7 allies insist that the communiqué directly condemn Russia for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. At the same time, the Russian and Chinese delegations opposed this. Russia itself, which is a member of the G20, continues to call its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation" and avoids the terms "war" or "invasion."

India, which holds the G20 presidency this year, insisted during the summit that the word "war" not be used in the communiqué. At the same time, the country maintains a largely neutral position, refusing to condemn Russia's actions and seeking a diplomatic solution. It has also significantly increased its purchases of Russian oil, Reuters points out.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said that the G20 should not back down from its previous criticism of Russia, in particular from the joint statement agreed at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November. It stated that "most members strongly condemn the war in Ukraine," but also acknowledged some countries saw the conflict differently.

"Either we have the same language or we do not sign on the final communique," Le Maire said, while Lindner noted that the G20 needs absolute clarity because this is "a war initiated by Putin."

A source in the G20 said that negotiations on the communique were difficult because China and Russia were blocking the positions of Western countries.

"India wants to stick to the Bali wording," the source told Reuters.

Reuters also notes that a consensus on the communique is unlikely. According to the source and several officials, barring a last-minute surprise, the meeting is likely to end with a statement from the host country. The statement will summarize the discussions.

"In the absence of a consensus, the option for India would be to issue a chair statement," one of the officials emphasized.

• On November 16, the leaders of the G20 countries issued a joint statement in which they "strongly condemned" Russia's aggression against Ukraine.