NEW DELHI: Leaders of the G20 countries have managed to produce a joint statement during their two-day summit in New Delhi, addressing critical issues surrounding the conflict in Ukraine and the global climate crisis. However, the statement treads carefully around these subjects, avoiding direct criticism of Russia regarding the Ukraine conflict and failing to make concrete pledges to phase out fossil fuels.
In the backdrop of a diplomatic challenge, with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin absent from the summit to avoid potential political fallout and arrest on war crimes charges, the G20 statement did denounce the use of force for territorial gain but refrained from explicitly naming Russia.
The statement emphasized that there were varying views and assessments regarding the situation in Ukraine. While European nations and the United States had urged the G20 to maintain a strong stance against the Russian invasion, they did not succeed in preventing any perceived dilution of the group’s previous condemnation.
Ukraine Expresses Disappointment with G20 Statement
Ukraine’s foreign ministry expressed disappointment with the statement, describing it as “nothing to be proud of.” However, the United States viewed the outcome positively, with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stating that it effectively upheld the principle that states should not use force to seek territorial acquisition or violate the sovereignty of other states.
Regarding climate change, the G20 struggled to find common ground, particularly among major fossil fuel producers and coal-dependent nations at the table. The summit did not yield an overarching commitment to phase out polluting fossil fuels, which the United Nations had deemed “indispensable” to achieve a net-zero goal.
Instead, G20 countries pledged to triple renewable energy sources by 2030 and only committed to a “phasedown” of coal “in line with national circumstances.”
While some welcomed the commitment to renewables, advocacy group Global Citizen criticized the G20’s reluctance to abandon fossil fuels, stating that it sent a negative signal to the world, especially to vulnerable countries suffering from climate change impacts.
The G20, representing 85 percent of global GDP and a significant portion of climate-warming emissions, has faced challenges in reaching consensus on critical global issues in recent years.
