Ukraine Criticises G20 Declaration For Omitting Criticism Of Russian Invasion, Says 'Nothing To Be Proud Of'

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry criticised the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration adopted at the G20 Summit on Saturday, saying that 'it is nothing to be proud for' as it did not explicitly mention Russia's aggression towards Ukraine. G20 leaders arrived at the consensus after concerns regarding sharp differences between the West and Russia-China combine on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Asserting that "today's era must not be of war", the New Delhi Declaration of G20 countries on Saturday called on all states to uphold the principles of international law, including territorial integrity and sovereignty and pitched for initiatives for "comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine". 

"Ukraine is grateful to the partners who tried to include strong wording in the text, however, in terms of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Group of 20 has nothing to be proud of," Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a tweet on 'X'. 

Delhi Declaration VS Bali Declaration

The New Delhi Leaders' Declaration although called on all states to refrain from using force to “seek territorial acquisition”, it did not specifically mention Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine. “It is clear that the participation of the Ukrainian side (in the G20 meeting) would have allowed the participants to better understand the situation,” the spokesperson wrote on Facebook.

He then posted a screenshot of the relevant section of the joint declaration, with several pieces of the text crossed out in red and replaced with wording which reflects Ukraine’s position as a victim of unprovoked Russian aggression. 

Compared to this year's declaration, the one adopted in Bali in 2022, said, "We reiterated our national positions as expressed in other fora, including the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, which, in Resolution No. ES-11/1 dated 2 March 2022, as adopted by majority vote (141 votes for, 5 against, 35 abstentions, 12 absent) deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demands its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine."

It had also said, "most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine." However, Russia and China had objected to it and the declaration was issued with their objection, according to the BBC.  

Further, the language used in this year's declaration refers to the conflict as "war in Ukraine", in comparison to Bali Declaration, which used "aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine." However, responding to questions on the change of language, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the New Delhi Declaration responds to the situation as it stands today.

"Regarding the change in language on the Russia-Ukraine conflict from the Bali Declaration - Bali was Bali, New Delhi is Delhi. Many things have happened since the Bali Declaration," he said.