According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the G20 summit, held in India, was deemed a “success” as the bloc refrained from directly criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Lavrov stated, “We were successful in preventing the Western attempts to focus the summit agenda on Ukraine.”
He further noted that the summit’s text did not mention Russia at all and commended the Indian presidency for effectively bringing together G20 members from the global south. Lavrov highlighted the influence of Russia’s allies such as Brazil, South Africa, India, and China in shaping the discussions.
Although the G20 leaders acknowledged the challenges caused by Russia’s invasion of its neighboring country, they avoided placing blame on Moscow.
Due to the potential political repercussions and the risk of being arrested on war crimes charges, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to attend the summit.
While Kyiv’s foreign ministry criticized the G20 statement, stating that it was nothing to be proud of, a senior White House official expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
