This handout photo taken and released by Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) on February 25, 2023 shows India聮s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressing a joint press statement in New Delhi. (Photo by PIB / AFP
NEW DELHI 鈥� Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Thursday for the G20 to bridge differences over Ukraine, telling the opening of a meeting in New Delhi that global governance has 鈥渇ailed鈥�.
鈥淭he experience of the last few years -鈥� financial crisis, climate change, pandemic, terrorism and wars 鈥� clearly shows that global governance has failed,鈥� Modi said in a recorded statement opening the meeting of G20 foreign ministers.
鈥淲e are meeting at a time of deep global divisions鈥� We all have our positions and our perspectives on how these tensions (can) be resolved. However, as the leading economies of the world, we also have a responsibility for those who are not in this room,鈥� Modi said.
India had wanted its G20 presidency this year to focus on issues such as alleviating poverty and climate finance, but the Ukraine war has so far crowded out other agenda items.
The gathering will see US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the same room for the first time since July, but the two men are unlikely to hold talks.
Western delegates fear China is considering supplying arms to its Russian ally and they will use the foreign ministers鈥� summit to discourage Beijing from intervening in the conflict.
India鈥檚 longstanding security ties with Russia have put the host of Thursday鈥檚 meeting in an awkward diplomatic position after refusing to condemn the invasion over the past year.
But EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was confident India would use the meeting to 鈥渕ake Russia understand that this war has to finish鈥�.
鈥淐ertainly the success of the meeting today will be measured in respect to what we will be able to do on that,鈥� he told reporters Wednesday.
Borrell will meet on the sidelines of the New Delhi summit with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, where he will seek assurances that Beijing will not lend support to Russia鈥檚 war effort.
鈥淯ntil now, the answer has been clearly stated by China, 鈥榠t hasn鈥檛 happened and it won鈥檛 happen,鈥� but we have to remain vigilant,鈥� said a senior EU official with knowledge of the matter.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua last week quoted top diplomat Wang Yi as saying Beijing was willing to 鈥渟trengthen strategic coordination鈥� with Russia after meeting Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
鈥榋ero evidence鈥�
Blinken said he had no plans to meet with either the Russian or Chinese foreign ministers at the G20 summit.
The last time Blinken and Lavrov were in the same room, at a G20 meeting in Bali last July, the latter stormed out according to Western officials.
鈥淚f Russia 鈥� President Putin 鈥� were genuinely prepared to engage in meaningful diplomacy necessary to end the aggression, of course we鈥檇 be the first to work to engage, but there鈥檚 zero evidence of that,鈥� Blinken said.
Blinken had a fiery encounter with Wang last month in Germany after the United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over its east coast on February 4.
Lavrov intends to use his G20 attendance to lambast Western countries over the conflict, according to a Russian foreign ministry statement.
Western nations want to 鈥渢ake revenge for the inevitable disappearance of the levers of dominance from its hands鈥�, the ministry said Tuesday.
鈥淭he destructive policy of the US and its allies has already put the world on the brink of a disaster,鈥� it added.
Hosting the G20 puts India in a tricky position, because while it shares Western concerns about China, it is also a major buyer of Russian arms and has ramped up Russian oil imports.
A meeting of G20 finance ministers in Bengaluru last week failed to agree on a common statement after Russia and China sought to water down language on the war.
While India has not condemned the Ukraine invasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin last year that this was 鈥渘ot a time for war鈥� in comments seen as a rebuke to Moscow.
Modi said Thursday that he was confident the meeting would 鈥渞ise above differences鈥� between its attendees.
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