Before the G20 meeting in India: Baerbock wants to close ranks against Moscow

The real work begins tomorrow at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting – and the war against Ukraine will certainly be an issue. Foreign Minister Baerbock called for a clear stance against Russia. But that can hardly be expected from host India.

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) called for solidarity against Russia at the meeting of G20 foreign ministers in India. The group of states must devote all its energy to the “great global challenges”. This includes “that we oppose the cynical game of Russia, which is trying to drive a wedge in the world community”.

Russia’s war of aggression not only affects innocent people in Ukraine, it also “endangers the food and energy security of hundreds of millions of people around the world.”

In her statement, Baerbock referred to the UN General Assembly voting on a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. 141 of the 193 UN member states voted in favor of the text last Thursday. She is optimistic that “the vast majority of states in the United Nations General Assembly have once again named Russia’s brutal war by its name,” Baerbock said.

What is Lavrov doing this time?

It is eagerly awaited whether Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will cause a scandal at the meeting in New Delhi, as at the recent G20 foreign ministers’ meeting on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali. At that time he left the hall after his speech and no longer listened to the comments of his critics.

Visiting a book fair in New Delhi today, Lavrov called India a friend. Both countries did not accept “neo-colonial practices” of unilateral sanctions, threats and blackmail and other pressures. Moscow repeatedly accuses the United States and the “collective West” of behaving like a global colonial power. Before the deliberations began, Lavrov also met with his Indian counterparts Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

“Conflict” instead of “War”

Host India takes a neutral stance on Russia’s war of aggression. The country is heavily dependent on Russia for energy and armaments. So far it has not participated in any UN resolution or sanctions against Russia.

At a press conference, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra denied the accusation that the war was being indirectly financed by buying Russian oil: “We don’t do that. You supported the war for a very long time by making yourself dependent on Russian energy and Chinese imports have.” His country is not for war: “We believe in diplomacy and dialogue.” Kwatra also spoke of a “conflict” in Ukraine, not a war.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized India’s role as a bridge builder during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s recent state visit to New Delhi: “Since the developments in Ukraine began, India has been pushing for this dispute to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. India is ready to do any contribute to peace efforts.”

India’s G20 chief negotiator, Amitabh Kant, said that despite the West’s growing diplomatic interest, it lacked a proper understanding of India’s situation: “That’s because you don’t live in this neighborhood.” The western countries would have neither Pakistan, Afghanistan nor China as neighbors. “And in this South Asian region, it will be very difficult for India if it angers Russia.”

represents 60 percent of the world population

The G20 working sessions are scheduled for Thursday. A first session will deal with multilateralism, food and energy security and development cooperation. The Russian war in Ukraine should also be discussed here. Later on, topics such as counter-terrorism and civil protection are on the agenda.

The G20 includes the European Union and the strongest economies on all continents. According to the group, it generates more than 80 percent of global gross domestic product, 75 percent of global trade and accounts for around 60 percent of the world’s population.

With information from Charlotte Horn, ARD Studio New Delhi