G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting fails to come out with joint communique amid differences over Ukraine

New Delhi: The G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting here on Thursday failed to come out with a joint communique, owing to deep differences over the Ukraine conflict.

The lack of consensus among the G20 nations to come out with a joint communique was despite India’s best efforts to build one.

The meeting was held under India’s G20 presidency.

In its place though, a Chair’s Summary and Outcome document was adopted.

This is the second time within a span of few days that G20 nations have failed to arrive at a consensus over the Ukraine conflict.

Last week, during the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Banks Governors (FMCBG) meeting, the member nations had failed to come out with joint comminique over lack of consensus on Ukraine.

Meanwhile later during a press conference, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that issues concerning the Ukraine conflict were there among member nations.

He added that there were polarised views on the issue.

The differences were mainly between the US-led Western nations and the Russia-China group on the other side, over the Ukraine conflict, sources privy to developments said.

Jaishankar said that the Outcome Document and the Chair’s Summary reflected the G20’s resolve to deal with pressing global challenges.

There was a consensus on a slew of issues, he added, mainly related to multilateralism, food and energy security, climate change, gender issues, global health and terrorism.

Meanwhile all the G20 nations condemned terrorism in all its forms and counter- narcotics was also discussed for the first time, the External Affairs Minister said.