Meeting since Friday in Bangalore, the technological capital of India, the G20 Finance was trying to agree on solutions to the challenges posed by the global economy, in a context of war in Ukraine and rising inflation.

India, which holds the presidency of the G20, published Saturday at the end of the meetings a “summary” of the discussions, but no joint press release.

“Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine” with “different assessments of the situation and sanctions,” the document said.

An annotation specifies that within the G20, only China and Russia did not approve two paragraphs about Ukraine.

Spanish Finance Minister Nadia Calviño speaks to the press on the sidelines of the G20 Finance, February 25, 2023 in Bangalore, India © Manjunath KIRAN / AFP

Last year, during previous meetings of the G20 Finance, under the Indonesian presidency, no joint press release had been drafted either.

"The discussions are more difficult than at previous meetings (of the G20 Finance) because the war continues", had warned Saturday 6

.

Consequently, "certain positions are perhaps less constructive on certain issues", underlined the minister, without specifying which country (s) she was referring to.

"A war"

China wanted to tone down the language used about Ukraine in the G20 Finance joint statement, according to several officials familiar with the discussions interviewed by AFP, on condition of anonymity.

According to one of them, "China does not want to condemn the war" in Ukraine.

Discussions to agree on a term lasted until 2 a.m. Saturday (2030 GMT Friday), another official said.

In vain.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks to the press on the sidelines of the G20 Finances on February 24, 2023 in Bangalore, India © Manjunath KIRAN / AFP

China has never publicly endorsed or criticized the offensive, but has repeatedly expressed support for Moscow in the face of Western sanctions.

A year to the day after the entry of Russian troops into Ukrainian territory, Beijing on Friday unveiled a document reaffirming its position.

The document, organized into 12 points, presents China as a neutral actor calling on the two parties to start peace talks.

For its part, India, which chairs the G20 and has long-standing ties with Russia, did not condemn Moscow's military intervention.

Germany and France pleaded on Friday for the inclusion of the term "war" in the final communiqué of the G20 Finance.

In Ukraine, "it's a war. And this war has one cause, one cause, and that's Russia and [Russian President] Vladimir Putin," said German Finance Minister Christian Lindner. .

The French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire had supported the words of his German counterpart.

“We will oppose any backsliding in the joint statement, compared to the declaration made in Bali on the subject of the war in Ukraine”, he had warned, during a press conference in English.

Reforms and debt

In November, the heads of state and leaders of the G20 countries met for a summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Their final statement stated that "most members strongly condemned the war".

For two days, the powers of the G20 also discussed in India the debt of the poorest countries.

For two days, the powers of the G20 also discussed in India the debt of the poorest countries © Manjunath KIRAN / AFP/Archives

In 2020, the G20 had agreed on a "common framework" for the restructuring of the debt of the poorest countries, but its implementation is slow.

A reform of international financial institutions was also discussed.

In October, the World Bank launched an initial roadmap, with the aim of better meeting the financing needs of developing countries.

The reform should make it possible to mobilize funds more effectively for the poorest countries, in the face of the challenges posed by inflation, indebtedness or even climate change.

© 2023 AFP