G20 finance ministers without joint final statement A year of war in Ukraine: a video review

The finance ministers of the leading industrialized and emerging countries were unable to agree on a joint closing statement at their meeting in India’s Bengaluru. Instead, India’s presidency published its own summary of the ministerial meeting on Saturday.

According to information from negotiating circles, China and Russia prevented an agreement on a joint document. There were differences of opinion on two points: on condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine as a war and on a paragraph on debt relief for poor countries.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner warned China on Friday to take more responsibility for possible debt relief for countries like Ghana. The People’s Republic is one of the world’s largest lenders. According to World Bank calculations, the poorest countries have to transfer some $62 billion annually to their creditors to pay off their debts – two-thirds of the debt they owe to China.

Finance ministers also wrestled over whether the word “war” should be included in the final document. Germany and France have made it clear that they will not tolerate any wording that is inconsistent with what leaders said at the 2022 Bali summit, where the G20 had stated: “Most members condemned the war in Ukraine in the strongest possible terms.”

Common assessments and goals are usually set out in a closing statement after a G20 meeting. Since the war in Ukraine, however, talks have repeatedly stalled because Russia is also a member of the Group of 20. (sda/dpa)