Jaishankar pushes Russia-Ukraine de-escalation as G20 ends without agreement
G20 ends without agreement. (Image courtesy: X/@SecRubio)
New Delhi: The G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta concluded on Saturday, without a joint communique as divisions over Russia’s war in Ukraine prevented members from reaching consensus on major international security issues. The United States secretary of state, Marco Rubio, released a chair’s statement instead, outlining priorities including energy and food security and freedom of navigation.
The statement did not announce any agreements, reflecting the differences among members, the Associated Press reported. While talking to reporters, Rubio acknowledged that the grouping was not close to finding universally accepted solutions to the challenges discussed, although he pointed to areas of cooperation on supply chains and critical minerals.
Against this backdrop, external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, said India had held discussions with Russia, European countries and Ukraine on three areas of concern arising from the conflict, civilian shipping, grain exports and energy security.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, after the meeting, Jaishankar said India had been engaging with the different sides to explore ways of addressing the impact of the war. He stressed that civilian vessels and seafarers should not become targets in the conflict.
He also called for the restoration of grain shipments from Russia and Ukraine, both major suppliers to international markets. Jaishankar noted that grain movement through the Black Sea had declined sharply, disrupting an important route for global food supplies.
Energy security, however, remains a more complicated issue, the minister said. He explained that countries have different understandings of what constitutes energy infrastructure, ranging from refineries and electricity grids to vessels transporting fuel. India has been trying to bring the concerned parties together to address these concerns.
The diplomatic push came against the backdrop of deep divisions at the Atlanta meeting over Russia’s war in Ukraine. As RNA Media reported earlier, objections from European representatives to appearing alongside Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, led to the cancellation of the traditional G20 group photograph. The German foreign minister also warned against treating relations with Moscow as normal.
Rubio on X said that “secure supply chains are crucial for growth.” The senator called for the opening of critical maritime corridors, such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, for commercial activity and said it was important to improve critical mineral supply chains.
