Russia hails unexpected G20 'milestone' as Ukraine fumes

[libertybele]

Russia hails unexpected G20 'milestone' as Ukraine fumes

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has praised a joint declaration by G20 leaders in Delhi that avoids condemning Moscow for its war against Ukraine.

Russia had not expected consensus and agreement on the wording was "a step in the right direction", said Mr Lavrov.

The closing G20 statement denounced using force for territorial gain but made no mention of Russian aggression, prompting criticism from Ukraine.

The two-day summit also inducted a new permanent member, the African Union.

The 55-member bloc joins at the invitation of hosts India, one of whose key objectives while president has been to make the G20 more inclusive with greater participation of so-called Global South countries.

The world's biggest economies reached other key deals in Delhi, including one on climate and biofuels - although there was criticism of the summit's failure to commit to phasing out fossil fuels.

For the second year in a row, there was no official G20 "family photo". No reason was given but reports say many leaders refused to be photographed, pointing to Russia's presence at the summit.

Very few had expected a joint declaration at this year's G20 - not least on the first day of the summit. The group is deeply divided over last year's invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Neither Russia's Vladimir Putin nor China's Xi Jinping turned up in Delhi, sending lower-level delegations instead.

So there was surprise when, just hours after the summit started, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced consensus had been reached on how to phrase the Ukraine section of the statement, which saw last year's direct criticism of Russia watered down.

Mr Lavrov told a news conference on Sunday that a "milestone" had been reached.

"Speaking frankly we didn't expect that. We were ready to defend our wording of the text. The Global South is no longer willing to be lectured," he said in answer to a question by the BBC's Yogita Limaye.

The UK and US talked up the joint statement too, but Ukraine - which took part in last year's Bali summit but was not invited this year - said it was "nothing to be proud of". ........

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66716544

[libertybele]

Trying to figure out what Brandon has on his feet....slippers???

[mountaineer]

Trying to figure out what Brandon has on his feet....slippers???

He's just wondering why they draped the bib around his neck when it isn't dinnertime.

[bigheadfred]

Trying to figure out what Brandon has on his feet....slippers???

Looks like they are shoe covers. The building they are leaving probably has some religious significance. The others seem to be wearing them as well or they are barefoot.

[libertybele]

He's just wondering why they draped the bib around his neck when it isn't dinnertime.