A spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting’s failure to agree on a joint statement on Ukraine reflected “division” between countries on the international stage. He said it does not reflect India’s efforts as host.
India, as chair of the G-20, held a foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, which was attended by foreign ministers from other countries, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Chinese Foreign Minister Band Qin.
The meeting failed to agree on a joint statement as the rift between Russia and the West over the conflict in Ukraine became apparent, despite efforts by host country India to narrow the gap. At a news conference in New Delhi, Blinken said Russia and China were the two countries not backing the joint statement at the meeting.
Gutierrez spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news conference on Thursday: “We were not a party at the table, it’s unfair to blame or analyze where the problem should have been, but it’s another manifestation of the split we see in many international forums.”
Blinken and Lavrov had one-on-one meetings on the sidelines of the G20 meeting for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago.
