Although China and India they’ve been refusing to condemn him for months now war her Russia in Ukrainedid not prevent the largest economies in the world from making a sharp critical statement against Moscow.

Could this indicate a shift in the policy of the two countries towards the position of the United States and its allies, who want to end this destructive war?

Ambiguities in G20 statement

It is clear that the world, plagued by controversy, is ready to view the recent developments at the G20 summit as a change in the policies of these two rising world powers.

However, a closer look at the data reveals that both the official G20 statement since the summit in Bali, Indonesia, and the actions of China and India themselves are characterized by ambiguity, raising questions about whether a real change has actually taken place.

The positions of the two countries will become clearer in the coming weeks, but for now, Beijing and New Delhi, which have important trade ties with Russia, are not directly criticizing the war in Ukraine, but perhaps simply trying to protect their interests while at the same time keeping their prospects open for the future. .

In this context, it is important to evaluate the latest developments in Bali, as fears are growing that without political and diplomatic pressure from China and India, Russia will have much less chance of ending the war.

Ukraine was at the center of the two-day G20 summit, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Early on Wednesday morning, a rocket explosion on Polish soil prompted US President Joe Biden to call an emergency meeting of the G7, as well as NATO countries for a summit.

The behind-the-scenes debate in the G20 on how to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a joint statement by the countries was “very intense” according to Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

“Most countries condemned the war and stressed that it was causing great human suffering and exacerbating already existing problems in the global economy,” the statement said.

From the above quote, it is clear that there were disagreements. In addition, it was said about the “difference of views and assessments” and noted that the G20 “is not the forum that deals with security issues.”

Xi Jinping’s position at the G20

Moreover, some diplomats are wary of believing that Beijing has indeed changed its attitude towards Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping may have simply decided not to be a pariah during meetings with other leaders in Bali. The G20 announcement also allows China to avoid full engagement with Russia, which appears increasingly isolated as it intensifies its attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure in Ukraine.

But Beijing has not changed — or even publicly questioned — its fundamental relationship with Moscow. China has aligned its foreign policy with Russia in recent years as plans to build pipelines and sell natural gas have brought their economies closer together.

He even refused to publicly criticize Russian aggression in Ukraine without even describing it as an “invasion.” At the same time, he opposed the sanctions, accusing the US and NATO of provoking Putin, while Beijing warned against a nuclear escalation of the conflict.

Just weeks before the Russian invasion, Putin and Xi met in Beijing, where they signed a joint agreement that would see “no” restrictions on their bilateral relationship.

It remains unclear whether China asked for the G20 statement to be made less strict, acknowledging “different views and assessments” and that the forum “does not deal with security issues.” However, Xi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Peking’s Renmin University, said China has intervened in similar matters on other occasions.

Case of India

As for India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also refrained from criticizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

However, he first expressed his displeasure with the war at a meeting with Putin in September.

“I know that today is not the time for war,” he told the Russian president.

Indian Foreign Minister Vinay Kvatra told reporters that the message “received a great response from all delegations and helped bridge the gap between the various parties, contributing to the successful wording of the document” of the Bali announcement.

Navdeep Suri, a former Indian diplomat, says he sees little change in India’s attitude towards Russia.

China, however, could be “in a much more difficult position than India, since it was China that promised unlimited support to Russia just a few days before the invasion,” Suri explains. “China has [πλέον] compromise, using rather strict language, incl. [της έκκλησης για] unconditional and complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

Dilip Sinha, also a former Indian diplomat, noted that the country still buys oil and maintains trade relations with Russia, while refraining from UN resolutions that criticize Russia.

“Courage on the part of India [που θεωρεί] that she will always find her way. I don’t see any change in her policy regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine at all,” Sinha added.

^{Source: Associated Press.}