Main Topic: Russia's second summit with African leaders and delegates as a battle for influence and allies.
Key Points:
1. Russia's attempt to boost ties and partnership with African countries.
2. The decline in attendance compared to the first summit in 2019, attributed to Western interference and geopolitical factors.
3. The focus on food insecurity and the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on global food prices, with calls for the revival of the grain deal.
Main Topic: Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi and the risks he faces.
Key Points:
1. Putin is considering attending his first in-person meeting with Western leaders since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
2. The G20 summit could be politically aggressive towards Putin, with potential confrontations and challenging questions from journalists.
3. Putin's attendance at the summit would be a high-stakes decision, as he seeks to relaunch himself on the world stage and repair relations with the West.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi and will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to a telephonic conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where they also discussed bilateral cooperation and regional and global issues.
President Biden aims to use the G20 summit as an opportunity to strengthen the U.S.'s position as the leader of the global system, boost funding for the World Bank, and counterbalance China's Belt and Road Initiative; meanwhile, a potential strike looms for General Motors and Ford, and the Federal Reserve plans to maintain interest rates while addressing inflation concerns.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praises India's role as host for the G20 Summit, emphasizes the need for a comprehensive trade deal with India, condemns pro-Khalistan extremism, and affirms cooperation with India to counter such extremism.
China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin will be absent from the G20 summit, highlighting changing dynamics as leaders focus on domestic issues and pursue alternative multinational organizations, while President Joe Biden sees the event as an opportunity to engage with allies and advocate for U.S. leadership.
The G20 summit is set to feature strongmen leaders with human rights concerns, such as Mohammed bin Salman and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, reflecting a recognition that involving these countries is necessary for addressing issues like the Ukraine war and achieving consensus on global agreements.
The G20 leaders have reached a conclusion on the Ukraine war, emphasizing the need for the revival of the Black Sea grain deal and urging all states to refrain from the use or threat of force, stating that the use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.
Officials at the G20 summit expressed a desire for "just and durable peace" in Ukraine, but Russia successfully watered down a statement on the war, avoiding any mention of its military action "against Ukraine."
India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, addressed the New Delhi G20 Leadership Declaration, which called for peace in Ukraine, highlighting its significance as a consensus among members amidst tensions and divergent views over the conflict; however, the declaration received criticism for not mentioning Russia and for its language referring to the war 'in Ukraine' instead of 'against Ukraine'.
The Group of 20 adopted a consensus declaration at a summit in New Delhi that called on all states to uphold international law and not use force to grab territory, but did not condemn Russia for the war in Ukraine, prompting mixed reactions from different nations.
The G20 summit declaration refrained from directly condemning Russia for its actions in the Ukraine conflict, leading to Russia expressing its view that the leaders of the G20 acted in the spirit of conflict resolution.
The G20 summit in New Delhi concludes with Russia and the US praising a consensus declaration that avoids directly criticizing Russia for the war in Ukraine, but highlights the human suffering caused by the conflict and calls on all states not to use force to grab territory.
The 2023 New Delhi Summit of the G20 has been a success, with India demonstrating its ability to organize a global event; however, the summit's ability to produce substantial solutions to world problems, particularly the geopolitical crisis, is questionable. The summit managed to come up with a joint leaders' declaration, including language on Ukraine that accommodates all shades of opinion. The summit also focused on issues such as debt restructuring, climate change, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, and terrorism financing. However, the effectiveness of these actions will depend on whether countries actually implement them.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the decision to accept the G20 joint statement on Russia's war in Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of territorial integrity and sovereignty, while acknowledging the negative impact of Russia's aggression on food security globally.
The G20 summit in New Delhi showcased India's growing economic and geopolitical influence, but also highlighted concerns about the country's Hindu nationalist government and its approach to press freedom as journalists were largely restricted from covering the event.
Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow did not expect the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration to be adopted and was ready to defend itself and the wording about the Ukraine war, while also crediting the countries of the global south for ensuring that the G20 agenda was not overshadowed by the Ukraine conflict.
Leaders of the G20 summit in India overcame divisions on the Ukraine war and admitted the African Union to the bloc, while also announcing plans for a transport corridor and incremental progress on climate change.
The G20 summit's final declaration, which received criticism for not explicitly condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine, was defended by the White House, who praised it for highlighting the importance of a country's sovereignty.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will participate in a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be present, but the potential results are seen as minimal according to the Russian representative to the UN.
On September 22, 2021, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov avoided a face-off at the U.N. Security Council, highlighting the U.N.'s role as a venue for diplomatic disputes and the reputation of adversaries talking past each other.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the United States and Europe for their approach to developing countries and denied the realism of a recent proposal to revive the Black Sea grain deal, while also expressing skepticism of Ukraine's 10-point peace plan and suggesting that the conflict would be resolved on the battlefield.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated that while Russia is open to negotiations regarding Ukraine, it will not consider any proposals for a cease-fire as it believes it has been deceived before, and suggests that the issue will ultimately be resolved on the battlefield; Lavrov also criticizes the West for allegedly disregarding the seriousness of the conflict and accuses them of failing to fulfill obligations and negotiate in good faith.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Ukraine's 10-point peace plan at the UN, stating that the war would have to be resolved "on the battlefield" if more realistic terms were not offered.
