‘Nothing To Be Proud Of’: Ukraine Criticises New Delhi G20 Joint Declaration

New Delhi: Ukraine on Saturday said the Joint Declaration adopted by the leaders at the G20 Summit in New Delhi was “nothing to be proud of” and criticised it for not mentioning Russia. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko posted a screenshot of the relevant section of the G20 declaration, striking out several parts of the text in red, and corrected with wording that reflects the country’s position that it is a victim of unprovoked Russian aggression.

“It is clear that the participation of the Ukrainian side (in the G20 meeting) would have allowed the participants to better understand the situation,” Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.

Despite his disappointment with the overall G20 declaration, Nikolenko thanked Ukraine’s allies for doing their bit to advance the country’s position in the text. “Ukraine is grateful to the partners who tried to include strong formulations in the text,” he wrote.

Notably, despite challenges concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the G20 leaders adopted the joint declaration on the first day of the global conclave on Saturday.

READ | ‘100% Consensus On All Issues’: G20 Leaders Adopt Delhi Declaration

“I have received good news. Due to the hard work of our team, a consensus has been built on the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit Declaration. My proposal is to adopt this leadership declaration. I announce the adoption of this declaration. On this occasion, I congratulate my Sherpa and ministers, who worked hard for it and made it possible,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Taking to X (former Twitter), Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa for India, wrote the G20 declaration was adopted with “100% consensus on all developmental and geo-political issues”.

“The new geopolitical paras are a powerful call for Planet, People, Peace and Prosperity in today’s world. Demonstrates PM Narendra Modi’s leadership in today’s world. G20 has been the most ambitious in the history of G20 presidencies. With 112 outcomes and presidency documents, we have more than tripled the substantive work from previous presidencies,” Kant added.