How India overcame bitter G20 divisions over Ukraine
BBC By Vikas Pandey and Soutik Biswas
G20 summit, Delhi
The G20 joint declaration in Delhi is being described as a significant diplomatic win for India.
The agreement of a joint statement looked almost impossible a few days ago, given how sharply divided the group was over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In the end, we had a declaration that garnered unanimous support from all G20 member nations, without a single dissenting note.
Ukraine itself, which was not represented at the summit, was unhappy - though key players, including the US, the UK, Russia and China, praised the outcome.
So, how did India manage to bring together nations with starkly divergent views on Ukraine?
- G20 laments war in Ukraine but avoids blaming Russia
- Russia hails unexpected G20 'milestone' as Ukraine fumes
A close reading of the declaration and some geopolitical developments weeks before the summit offer some clues.
The five-nation Brics group - which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - decided to include six new members during its annual summit in August.
