G20 Foreign Ministers Meet turn into boxing ring over Ukraine
Photo Credit Twitter Handle MEA
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, March 2: India’s bid to give a strong voice to Global South during its presidency of G20, a group of highly industrialised nations, appears to have been held hostage by Russia-West slugfest over the Ukraine War. The US-led western block once more sought to impose their agenda on the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (G20 FMM) in New Delhi on Thursday.
The US Secretary of the state Antony Blinken at the outset sought to derail the agenda of the G20 FMM, as he lashed out at Russia for the extended war in Ukraine, while he called for an immediate cessation of the aggression. Blinken got support from the foreign ministers of the western block, as ministers from European nations backed him. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wasn’t to be lynched by his counterparts from the western block, as he matched words for words with equal intensity.
For India, the challenge with the G20 presidency has been well known. India’s allies are spread over each hemispheres of the globe. Russia is a longstanding strategic partner. The US is also a strategic ally. European nations such as France and Germany have been strategic partners. With allies sparring over the Ukraine War, the Indian bid to pitchfork the critical global agenda such as green energy transition, food security, reforms in the multilateral institutions appears failing.
Earlier the G20 Finance Ministers Meeting had failed to arrive at a consensus on the joint communication after their meeting in Bengaluru. Russia and China had objected to the insertion of two out of nine paragraphs which were sharply critical of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the insistence of the western block. Clearly, India knows that the western block would leave no opportunities to assert that the Ukraine War is the top agenda in the world.
The western block struck an aggressive stance at Russia over the announcement of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the anniversary of the Ukrainian War of the suspension on discussion with the US on the START, which dealt with ways to reduce the nuclear arsenals.
Russia continues to harp on the theme of European colonialism to wriggle out of the coordinated attack on it at the multilateral forum. Lavrov once more asserted that no developing nations had ever faced Russian occupation, while they had been victims of the European imperialism.
About The Author
