Bitter Divisions Dominate G20 Talks in India

Angry exchanges over Russia’s war in Ukraine have dominated G20 talks, with hosts India saying the disagreements mean there will be no joint statement.

The US secretary of state said the meeting had been marred by Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified war.”

Russia’s foreign minister accused the West of “blackmail and threats.”

India had wanted to focus on other issues affecting developing nations, but it said the differences over Ukraine “could not be reconciled.”

“We tried, but the gap between the countries was too much,” India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar said.

The G20, which includes the world’s 19 wealthiest nations plus the European Union, accounts for 85% of global economic output and two-thirds of its population.

The group’s foreign ministers – including Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, Antony Blinken of the US and China’s Qin Gang – were meeting in Delhi under India’s presidency. It was the first face-to-face meeting of the top US and Russian diplomats since the war began, just over a year ago.

BBC /Shakirat Sadiq