Attempts by West to take revenge, says Russian Ministry as India hosts G20 meet

Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, who arrived in India late Tuesday, attended the G20 ministers’ meet on Wednesday. The Russian ministry stated the Western international locations wish to ‘take revenge for the inevitable disappearance of the levers of dominance from its palms’.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Mar 1, 2023 13:52 IST

A file photograph of the G20 Summit (PTI)

By Agence France-Presse: Top US diplomat Antony Blinken was due in New Delhi on Wednesday alongside Russia’s Sergei Lavrov for a G20 assembly, with Ukraine and tensions with China set to overshadow makes an attempt by host India to forge unity among the many world’s high economies.
A gathering was seen as unlikely between the 2 males, who haven’t been in the identical room since a G20 assembly in Bali in July when, in accordance with Western officers, the Russian international minister walked out.

They final met individually in January 2022, weeks earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine. The two males have spoken by telephone since, however about different points and never the battle.

Lavrov arrived late Tuesday in India — which has not condemned the battle — and can use his G20 attendance to put into the West, in accordance with the Russian international ministry.

Western international locations wish to “take revenge for the inevitable disappearance of the levers of dominance from its hands,” the ministry’s English-language assertion stated.

“The destructive policy of the US and its allies has already put the world on the brink of a disaster, provoked a rollback in socio-economic development and seriously aggravated the situation of the poorest countries,” it added.

‘Spy balloon’

Similarly, unsure on the sidelines of the two-day G20 gathering in New Delhi was a gathering between Blinken and his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.

Blinken had a fiery encounter with high Chinese diplomat Wang Yi final month in Germany after the US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over its east coast on February 4.

The incident led Blinken to nix a uncommon journey to China, slamming the “unacceptable violation of US sovereignty and international law” which “must never again occur,” the State Department stated.

Beijing, which has additionally been angered by Washington’s stance on Taiwan, denies it makes use of spy balloons and says the craft was for climate analysis.

Wang “urged the US side to change course, acknowledge and repair the damage that its excessive use of force caused to China-US relations,” state information company Xinhua reported.

‘Material assist’

Blinken additionally warned Wang in opposition to offering “material support” to Russia’s faltering battle effort, as is speculated in Washington. Beijing denies any such intention.

State information company Xinhua quoted Wang final week as saying China was keen to “strengthen strategic coordination” with Russia after assembly Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Blinken was additionally anticipated to fulfill on Friday his counterparts from the Quad group — Japan, Australia and India — that’s seen as a bulwark in opposition to China within the Asia-Pacific area.

Awkward hosts

The Group of Twenty includes 19 international locations and the European Union, representing round 85 % of the world’s economic system and two-thirds of its inhabitants.

India needs its G20 presidency this 12 months to concentrate on points like assuaging poverty and local weather finance, however the Ukraine battle and its results are set to dominate the agenda.

Last week a gathering of G20 finance ministers in Bengaluru did not agree on a standard assertion after Russia and China sought to water down language on the Ukraine battle.

Hosting the G20 places India in a difficult place, as a result of whereas it shares Western considerations about China additionally it is a significant purchaser of Russian arms and has ramped up oil imports.

India has not condemned the invasion, though Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed Putin final 12 months that this was “not a time for war” in feedback seen as a rebuke to Moscow.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated Saturday on a go to to India that he didn’t imagine that Modi’s authorities “is under any illusions that this is an offensive war started by Russia in order to acquire a part of its neighbour’s territory.”

Published On:

Mar 1, 2023