The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bankers held their meeting in Bangalore, India on February 25th, but were unable to come to an agreement on a joint communiqué due to differences with China over the war in Ukraine. Most members of the G20 strongly condemned the war in Ukraine, however, China and Russia disagreed with this sentiment and refused to sign language on the issue.
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Westerners of destabilizing the G20 Finance meetings. Germany and France pleaded for the term “war” to be included in the communiqué, and this sentiment was echoed in the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia in November, where most members strongly condemned the war.
The Indian government published a summary of the meeting’s discussions, but no joint press release. It is clear that the G20 is still divided over the war in Ukraine, and that the Western members are struggling to rally India to their position. The G20 will continue to face this challenge until a resolution is reached.