“The text [final da cimeira] makes no reference to Russia,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference in New Delhi after the summit.

Lavrov said Russia had managed to “prevent Western attempts to “Ukrainize” the summit agenda, according to the French agency AFP.

The G20 leaders, divided on the attitude to adopt towards Russia’s war against Ukraine, did not mention “Russia’s aggression” in the final text.

“We call on all States to respect the principles of international law, in particular territorial integrity and sovereignty,” they affirm in the text.

“Peaceful conflict resolution and efforts to resolve crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue, are fundamental,” the G20 leaders added.

The statement issued by G20 leaders after last year’s summit in Bali, Indonesia, included a paragraph in which the majority of members “strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.”

The absence of criticism of Russia in the New Delhi press release was deplored by Ukraine on Saturday.

“The G20 has nothing to be proud of,” responded the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Nikolenko.

Lavrov said at the press conference that “the Indian presidency has really succeeded in uniting the G20 participants representing the countries of the South”, according to the Spanish agency EFE.

The minister said the G20 is immersed in a process of “internal reform” of assertiveness from the Global South, suggesting that Brazil, South Africa, India and China have managed to make themselves heard in New Delhi.

“G20 members from the South (…) sought very clearly and persistently to have their interests taken into account in the agreements discussed at the G20 and, therefore, they were included in the declaration,” he said. he declares. .

Lavrov represented Putin, who is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of war crimes in Ukraine.

Another notable absence in New Delhi was that of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, represented by Prime Minister Li Qiang.

The G20 brings together Germany, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, the United States, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

The African Union was admitted to the group on Saturday.

Brazil succeeds India in the rotating presidency of the G20.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva announced in New Delhi that he would invite Putin to the summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2014 and that the Russian leader would not be arrested.

“If I am president of Brazil and he comes to Brazil, there is no reason for him to be arrested,” he said.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, sparking a war with no end in sight.

The number of civilian and military casualties due to Russia’s war against Ukraine is unknown, but several sources, including the UN, admit that it will be very high.

PNG//ZO

By Impala News / Lusa

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