Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has restated the stance of New Delhi regarding Ukraine’s potential involvement in the upcoming G20 summit scheduled for September.
During an interaction with the media on Wednesday, Jaishankar emphasized that Ukraine had not been issued an invitation to the prominent event that brings together leaders from the world’s major economies. Notably, this gathering includes Russia, a permanent member of the G20.
Jaishankar conveyed that aside from the existing G20 member countries, India had extended invitations to several other nations, such as Spain, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mauritius, Egypt, the Netherlands, Oman, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, according to reports from the EFE news agency.
The foreign minister clarified that India’s standpoint on Ukraine’s participation is grounded in the G20’s primary focus on fostering economic growth and development. Matters related to conflict resolution, on the other hand, are deemed more suitable for consideration within the framework of the UN Security Council.
He also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India had previously engaged in multiple interactions with his Ukrainian counterpart, underscoring the strong relations between the two countries across various domains.
Earlier in June, Jaishankar had indicated that there were no intentions to extend an invitation to Ukraine for the summit. He noted that the list of invitees had been established “immediately after assuming the G20 presidency” in the preceding December. Any potential changes to this list had not been deliberated upon or discussed with any parties.
Ukrainian officials responded to the statements from New Delhi by affirming their collaborative efforts with partner nations to secure an invitation to the summit. It was highlighted that Ukraine had participated in the previous G20 summit held in Indonesia.
Nikolay Tochitsky, Ukraine’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, emphasized that the Russian Federation’s actions in relation to the Black Sea Grain Agreement posed a significant challenge for economies worldwide, affecting regions in Africa and Asia as well. Therefore, Ukraine was working alongside partners like India to gain an invitation to the summit.
The G20 comprises nations such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the US, UK, and EU. These member states collectively represent 85% of the global GDP, 75% of international trade, and around two-thirds of the global population.
