Josep Borell in New Delhi, March 3, 2023. FRANCIS MASCARENHAS / REUTERS
The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell said on Friday that he noted “a small improvementdiplomatically with Russia during the G20 meeting in India, despite divisions over Ukraine. On the sidelines of the G20 which ended Thursday without a joint statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken briefly spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
It was their first face-to-face talks since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Josep Borrell noted that the head of Russian diplomacy had this time stayed for the meeting of business ministers of the G20 when Western countries condemned Russia for its invasion.
“At least this time he stayed”
Last year, during a previous meeting in Indonesia, Sergei Lavrov left a midday session with his G20 counterparts after a flood of statements condemning the invasion of Ukraine. “At least this time he stayed and listened. It’s a small improvement but it’s important“, judged the head of European diplomacy on the occasion of the Raisina Dialogue, a forum organized in New Delhi. “I think it’s better than nothingadded Josep Borrell, who also expressed his opposition to any exclusion of Russia from the G20.
“We must retain the means to speak or at least to listen“, he argued. During his intervention at the Raisina Dialogue forum on Friday, Sergei Lavrov again mentioned what he considers to be a desire of Western countries to subject Russia to “a strategic defeat“. At the G20, the head of Russian diplomacy accused the West of putting pressure on developing countries to turn against Russia.
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Different points of view
Josep Borrell defended on Friday the idea of encouraging developing countries to oppose the war in Ukraine, while saying he was aware of the effects of the conflict, in particular the rise in the prices of basic foodstuffs. The meeting of the heads of diplomacy of the G20 ended Thursday without a joint press release. In an accompanying statement, India explained that Russia and China were the only two countries to oppose in the text the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
“For India to say that Russia and China were the only ones not to reach a consensus is a message in itself“, commented this Friday the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly. “It’s a diplomatic move“, continued Mélanie Joly, who underlined having met Sergei Lavrov on Thursday and having told him that “Russia must withdraw from Ukraine – full stop“.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the G20 had made it clear in Bali that it was not “the forum for settling security issues“. Members of the G20have different views on the issue of Ukraineshe told reporters. “We hope that G20 members will respect each other’s concerns and send a message of solidarity and cooperation rather than division and mutual recriminations.“.
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