PM Modi’s ‘era not of war’ statement to Putin makes it to G20 draft communiqué

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the SCO summit in Samarkand on September 16 – “today’s era isn’t of war” – has made it into the G20 draft communiqué, according to a daily.

According to a draught declaration agreed upon by diplomats, world leaders would underline Prime Minister Modi’s assertion that today’s period “must not be of war” during the G20 meeting in Bali.

According to two sources familiar with the deliberations, the Indian delegation played a significant role in reaching unanimity among member nations on the phrase criticising the Russian invasion.

The draft statement, seen by the Financial Times and confirmed by two officials said, “Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy.”

“The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, diplomacy, and dialogue are vital. Today’s era must not be of war,” the draft statement said.

The communiqué was agreed with by nation delegates on Monday night, but it still has to be approved by G20 leaders at a two-day summit beginning Tuesday morning.

Officials had previously warned that Russia’s objection to the war’s condemnation and China’s support for Moscow could mean that the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, would be the first to fail to agree on a joint statement, as western leaders sought to rally support for Kyiv and condemnation of Moscow, according to the daily.

The G20 “will make clear that Russia’s war is wreaking havoc for people everywhere”, a senior US official said, adding that there was a growing trend of “countries from different parts of the world, large and small, and lower and middle income” speaking out against the conflict.

In a special video address to leaders on Tuesday morning in a session dedicated to the war and its impact on global food and energy markets, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, pointedly addressed “leaders of the G19” in a snub to Russia and reiterated demands for Moscow to withdraw its troops from his country, reported Financial Times.

“I want this aggressive Russian war to end justly and on the basis of the UN Charter and international law,” he said. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine should not be offered peace deals that would compromise its “conscience, sovereignty, territory and independence”. “If Russia opposes our peace formula, you will see that it only wants war,” he added.

The draft communique stated that the war in Ukraine was “constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks”.
It added, “There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions.” Moscow has blamed Western sanctions against it for pushing up global food and energy prices.

In his opening address to the summit, host Joko Widodo, the Indonesian President, warned fellow leaders, “If the war does not end, it will be difficult for us to take responsibility for the future.” “We must not divide the world,” Widodo added. “We should not allow the world to fall into another cold war.”