G20 summit confirms mounting global division

Veto power

Founded in 1999 to promote global financial stability, since the financial crash of 2008 G20 has declared itself the primary venue for international economic and financial cooperation.

As every G20 member holds veto power over a consensus leaders' statement, it was hardly surprising that Russia was able to block any attempt to blame Moscow for the Ukraine conflict.

Consequently, the document produced in Delhi merely lamented the "suffering" of the Ukrainian people, while omitting to mention Russian aggression, far less any condemnation of its invasion of a sovereign state.

In arguably one of the most non-committal declarations issued by a global forum in recent times, the communique merely noted the "adverse impact of wars and conflicts around the world" and vowed "to support a comprehensive, just and durable peace".

Unsurprisingly, the communique was received with dismay in Kyiv, with a government spokesman dismissing it as "nothing to be proud of" for its failure to name Russia as the aggressor.

"It is clear that the participation of the Ukrainian side would have allowed the participants to better understand the situation," the official commented.

A self-declared Russian victory

But in a sign of the deepening divisions that are helping to exacerbate tensions in world affairs, Sergey Lavrov, Moscow's combative foreign minister, claimed the summit's outcome as a diplomatic victory, one that was achieved with the considerable backing of China, which has emerged as a key supporter of Moscow in the Ukraine conflict.

From Lavrov's perspective, the final communique represented a triumph for all those countries that sought to thwart the West's attempts to "Ukrainise" the summit's agenda.

Moreover, the Russian diplomat saw the conclusion of the G20 summit, which was hosted by India, as a ringing endorsement of the growing influence of the BRICS grouping of emerging powers, which currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, but is set to undergo a significant expansion in 2024 with the potential addition of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran.

Lavrov praised India for taking into account the views of BRICS countries that have so far largely avoided taking sides in the Ukraine conflict, as well as incorporating those of the global south, — a move that has resulted in Modi, whose long-term ambition is to make Delhi "a voice for the global south", securing agreement for getting the African Union a permanent seat at future G20 summits.

"India's presidency has really managed to coalesce G20 members from the global south," Lavrov said.

Therefore, the summit's conclusion, rather than helping to improve relations between the world's leading countries, merely confirmed the deepening divisions among world leaders, which look set to deepen in the years to come.

For example, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who is due to host the next G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2024, had made it clear that Putin would be welcome to attend the next summit, and would not be subjected to the international arrest warrant for his war crimes against Ukraine.

Da Silva has also repeatedly supported the Chinese intention of "de-dollarisation" among developing nations, as Beijing hopes to replace the dollar with the renminbi with trade across the Global South.

Moreover, with the African Union due to join G20 at the next summit, the imbalance between the established Western democracies and emerging powers is likely to be even more pronounced, a development that is likely to result in even more friction in world affairs, not less.