India's G20 Challenges - Why Russia Spoiled Delhi's Party?

The future course of the Ukraine war could shape India’s G20 presidency—it will force New Delhi to make tough choices

- Mandira Nayar

On the morning of March 2, a bleary-eyed External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stood in the sunny forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to greet his counterparts attending the G20 foreign ministers meeting. It had been days of negotiations as Jaishankar and his team tried hard for a consensus. A week after the meeting of the finance ministers and central bank governors (FMCBG) of the G20, which failed to arrive at a joint communique, Jaishankar was hoping to find a middle ground on the Ukraine issue. The hurdle? An ally, Russia, and an arch rival, China. A consensus and a joint statement ultimately turned out to be elusive.

The foreign ministers met befittingly in a room filled with the photographs of India’s past presidents who had risen above partisan politics. Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked Mahatma Gandhi in his video address, urging the top diplomats to overcome their differences. The consensus India helped hammer out at the G20 summit in Bali in November has frayed.

“It will be a tightrope walk for India,” said former ambassador Rakesh Sood. A few months after the Bali consensus, Russia has changed its position. “It is partly a reaction to NATO’s hardening stance, and it has hurt the prospects of peace. The Russians also expect more from Delhi as India is the host and a strategic partner,” said Sood.