The recent meeting of the foreign ministers of the G20 countries failed to produce a joint statement due to sharp differences between the Western nations and the Russia-China combine regarding the conflict in Ukraine. As a result, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had to release a ”Chair’s Summary and Outcome Document” as the host of the meeting.
During the discussions, foreign ministers from different countries expressed their views on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. However, due to the differences between the Western nations and the Russia-China combine, it was not possible to arrive at a common position on the matter. Jaishankar admitted that there were “divergences” in the meeting and that they were concerned with the Ukraine conflict. Despite attempts to reconcile differences, they could not reach a consensus, leading to the release of the outcome document instead of a joint statement.
Sources revealed that both Russia and China objected to the wording of the Ukraine war, which ultimately thwarted attempts to come out with a joint statement. This is not the first time such objections have been raised. Last week, at a meeting of the G20 finance ministers in Bengaluru, a common statement could not be agreed upon due to objections from Russia and China regarding the formulation of the Ukraine war.
Despite the lack of agreement on the Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar emphasized that there were agreements on “the bulk of issues” involving the concerns of the global South. The discussions involved a wide range of issues, such as strengthening multilateralism, promoting food and energy security, climate change, gender issues, and counter-terrorism. On these issues, there was considerable agreement among the participants, leading to the capture of these concerns in the outcome document.
Jaishankar clarified that if all issues had a “perfect meeting of minds,” there would have been a collective statement. However, due to disagreements on just two paragraphs, they were unable to get everyone on the same page. He noted that the outcome document reflected almost a 95% agreement on the discussed issues.
The failure to produce a joint statement highlights the ongoing tensions between the Western nations and the Russia-China combine. The conflict in Ukraine is a critical point of disagreement, with Russia and China on one side and the Western nations on the other. The G20 was formed to promote international economic cooperation, but its members also engage in discussions on various issues, including global security concerns. However, such disagreements threaten to undermine the organization’s ability to function effectively and work towards its objectives.
The inability to reach a consensus on the Ukraine conflict underscores the broader geopolitical tensions and competition between the Western nations and Russia-China combine. The current international system, characterized by rising nationalism, protectionism, and unilateralism, has led to tensions between countries and weakened multilateralism. As a result, it has become increasingly challenging to address global issues collectively and achieve the objectives of international organizations such as the G20.
The recent G20 meeting failed to produce a joint statement due to sharp differences between the Western nations and the Russia-China combine over the Ukraine conflict. Although agreements were reached on various issues, the lack of consensus on a critical issue highlights the ongoing geopolitical tensions and competition between these two groups. The failure to produce a joint statement also highlights the broader challenges facing the international system, including rising nationalism, protectionism, and unilateralism, which threaten to undermine multilateralism and weaken the ability of international organizations to address global issues effectively.
