New Delhi: With just three days left for the G20 summit to commence, a senior EU official said that the text drafted by India on the Ukraine war did “not go far enough” to be accepted by G7 and EU members.
In a background briefing, a senior EU official told reporters that talks were still on to find a compromise which would allow for a joint statement to be released at the end of the summit on September 10, but admitted that he was not optimistic.
Stating that there had been “very tough negotiations”, especially on geopolitical issues like Ukraine, the official said, “The text, as it is presented by India, is not enough. The G7, the EU and its member countries feel it is not going far enough,” he said.
The last time that any G20 meeting had produced a joint statement was in Bali last year. Since then, India has been issuing ‘chair’s summary and outcome documents’ at the conclusion of every ministerial meeting that recorded Russia and China’s objections in the footnotes.
The G20 summit in New Delhi will be held on September 9 and 10, and will be attended by heads of state like US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
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When asked whether a joint statement was still possible, the EU official expressed uncertainty.
“If we have a [chair’s statement], that will not be good, but that might be an outcome,” he said.
The EU official reiterated that the West cannot accept any language which dilutes the text that was used in the G20 summit in Bali to refer to the Ukraine conflict.
“If we manage 19 against one, that would not be bad in a way. We want reflection of our position and what is important for us, and we are well-supported. It is more Russia that is isolated than G7,” he said.
The senior official noted that Ukraine will certainly dominate the discourse at the summit, since it would be on “everybody’s mind”.
“It’s an illusion that you will just address economic topics. Of course, maybe you can say this for finance ministers and ministers and you have all those discussions. But when you have leaders, then it becomes more geopolitical. I think it is maybe the only forum where you have this plenary seating of leaders,” the official said.
Besides, friction is also expected on the issues of climate change, multilateral development banks and debt management.
The EU official mentioned that Russia and China have reservations about other aspects of the Bali declaration from last year, particularly regarding its language regarding the reduction of fossil fuel use and emissions.