G20 summit: “Westerners are playing a double game”

Secret Russian negotiating documents and internal communications obtained by the NDR could see how Russia tried in the run-up to the G20 summit to impose its view on the war against Ukraine.

At the end of September, around seven weeks before the start of the G20 summit in Bali, Konstantin* sees Russia on the home stretch and writes a message. As a member of the delegation representing Russia at the G20 preliminary negotiations, he feels that “something is really happening”. He and his colleague are “constantly courted by Westerners.”

According to Konstantin, representatives of Western countries repeatedly emphasized how important it was to agree on a final declaration. At the end of his message, he puts four closing brackets – common among Russian speakers instead of laughing emojis. The message goes to Yuriy*, who is his superior and apparently works in the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Struggle for a defused final declaration

For months there has been a struggle behind the scenes for a final declaration of the G20 summit in Bali, one of the most important political summits in the world. Secret Russian negotiation documents and chat histories between members of the Russian negotiating delegation, reporters from the NDR revealed Russia’s strategy and show that for a long time the negotiators did everything they could to keep terms like “Ukraine” or “war” out of the final declaration of the summit. They also wanted to use the close contacts with alleged allies such as China, India and Brazil for this purpose.

The content of the documents, the names mentioned and the timeline are plausible, even if their specific truthfulness cannot be finally verified. Formulations from a draft of the final declaration, for example, which the negotiators exchanged among themselves, match those from a draft published later.

Diplomacy behind the scenes

At such summits, it is common for all participating states to struggle for a final summit declaration for weeks or even months. In most cases, all countries try to reach a joint statement and still include important statements of their own without alienating the other participants.

Above all, the host, in Bali this is Indonesia, tries to make a final statement possible. The Russian delegation is also interested in finding a compromise. Yuriy writes to his colleagues: “Only one sentence is important for us: that the states remember their own positions in relation to the Ukrainian issue.” There is no unilateral assignment of blame. “That would be a very nice outcome. But who knows whether the westerners will agree to it,” Juriy continued.

At the time of the exchange between the two men, the Russian side is assuming that at least Russia’s responsibility for the war will not be included in the final declaration.

West should take partial responsibility

In addition, reference can also be made to Russia’s general negotiating position from the NDR Viewed conversations conclude: Russia is ready to raise the issue of Ukraine if the West accepts responsibility for what happened and is also ready to talk about the sanctions imposed on Russia.

Konstantin, the man on the negotiating team, came to the conclusion in the chat: how flexible the countries in Bali will be will depend heavily on the current situation in Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry read a request from the NDR unanswered.

But shortly after Konstantin’s optimistic news, skepticism spreads. “Westerners are playing a double game,” he writes to his superior Yuriy in a long message with eight bullet points. “On the corridors, they continue to build bridges, bringing up opportunities to find a compromise: that one can find a formulation without condemning Russia.”

But it would look different on the “official track” – that is, in the official part: there the representatives of the West would continue to push their line, that there would be formulations like “Russia’s aggressive war” and a reference to the “condemnation and assumption of responsibility by Russia ” in the final declaration. Luckily, Konstantin continues, the emerging countries have “so far been confident about the pressure [des Westens] react”.

Hoping for supposed allies

The chat history of the two men makes it clear how much Russia relied on the countries of the so-called BRICS group of states – named after the initials of the associated countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – to achieve its goals in the run-up to the G20 summit .

But apparently there was also frustration: during the course of the conversation, Konstantin complained, in a few expletives, to his superior in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the other BRICS countries would not sufficiently follow the wording proposed by Russia in relation to Ukraine. For example, the Russian negotiators suggested the wording “a variety of conflicts” instead of directly mentioning the Ukraine war in the final paper.

Informal contacts “almost like before”

In terms of behind-the-scenes vibes, more clues can be found in the chat history. Despite complaints about the “double game” of the West, Konstantin states: “Our contacts with the Westerners are normal, there are business talks and friendly conversations, almost as before.” The Australians and Germans are an exception, however: “Even with the Americans, communication is smooth, sometimes even informal.”

But the disillusionment seems to have strengthened within just a few days: “Westerners continue to insist that it is important that the issue [Ukraine] reflected in all ‘relevant’ paragraphs”, even when it comes to energy. The aim is “to try to justify energy prices and the trade deficit to one’s own citizens”. Constantine home.

“Oh, the war is in”

At the end of October, he finally shares the third draft of the English-language declaration with his superior NDR could also see. “Oh, the war is in,” he writes – referring to a formulation in the second paragraph, in which Russia is not accused. But his superior is still optimistic: “Well, so far, for the optics.”

During the current summit, the struggle for the final declaration continues. In a text version that became known on Tuesday, the words “War in Ukraine” are written. However, there is no direct accusation of blame towards Russia by the summit participants. There is only a mention of the UN General Assembly, which addresses the Russian aggression. Things could have gone worse for Konstantin, his colleague and the Russian delegation.

*Name is known to the editors and has been changed