It was inevitable that the G20 summit would be overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and that the divisions over this conflict would resonate in the meeting. In terms of the size of their economies and their stage of development, the G20 is a diverse group. Most countries want to see Russia and Ukraine resolve the conflict at the talks table, and are alarmed that those that lecture others on diplomatic resolution continue to pour significant money and national energies into this war. No country wants this war, but not everyone is on the same page over an outright condemnation of Russia. This is why, as Prime Minister Joko Widodo of Indonesia said, the discussion of the conflict was the “most contentious” at the summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the summit, and sent Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in his place, who lashed out at the assembly for politicising the war.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi — whose advice to President Putin in September that “this is not the era of war” is said to have played a role in hammering out the joint declaration — underlined the challenges India will face during its presidency: “Geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown, rising food and energy prices, and the long-term ill-effects of the pandemic”. He rightly stressed that peace and development were essential for people to reap the fruit of economic development. Modi has promised that India’s leadership of the G20 will be “inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented”, hinting that Delhi is planning to push a global campaign for a sustainable lifestyle, LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment). The theme of India’s G-20 chairmanship, as announced earlier this month, is “One Earth, One Family, One Future”. For India, this is an opportunity to make a concerted push for the global south. A debt crisis haunts many middle income economies. Climate change, and finding the money to make the “clean” transition, is another challenge. This is an opportunity for India to make a mark as a global leader. Delhi must avoid the temptation to turn its presidency into a gimmicky year-long “festival of India” in the run-up to the 2024 general elections.
Despite the fraught session, the summit had consequential bilateral interactions, including a first meeting between Prime Minister Modi and the new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Sunak’s green light to the reciprocal “young professionals scheme” under which the UK will give 3,000 visas to Indian graduates in the age group of 18-30 to live and work in the country for two years is likely to smoothen the path towards a quick finalisation of the Free Trade Agreement which hit a road bump last month. The meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping may not have helped them to find common ground, but the important takeaway from this, which India, as a Quad ally must note, is that the two sides are engaged.
