France's Emmanuel Macron and PM Modi held a bilateral on Day 2 of the 2023 G20 Summit.
The G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration "confirms the isolation of Russia" and a "vast majority of G20 countries have condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine", French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday afternoon, a day after G20 leaders released a "100 per cent unanimous declaration" that was light on mention of the war in Ukraine and had no reference to Moscow's role in the conflict.
A tad more direct while addressing reporters today, Mr Macron told reporters "Russia is still waging its war" and then reaffirmed the text of Saturday's declaration, which spoke about upholding principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and called on all states to "refrain from the threat, or use, of force to seek territorial acquisition. "The G20 is committed to just and lasting peace in Ukraine," he declared.
Mr Macron also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "words of peace".
The New Delhi Declaration's discreet critique of Russia for its war on Ukraine was seen as a major climbdown from the G20's position last year, when global leaders cited a United Nations resolution to condemn in "... strongest terms... aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine".
This year - consensus over which was delayed due to differences between the West and Russia-China over the war - the group acknowledged the war's impact but said "the G20 is not the platform to resolve geopolitical and security issues... (which) can have significant consequences for the global economy".
READ | G20 Decries "Use Of Force" In Ukraine Without Naming Russia
That sentiment - that the G20 is not a forum for global security issues - was referred to by Mr Macron again; he said, "The G20 is not a forum for political discussions. We are here to talk about economic topics and the climate (crisis). G20 should not get stuck in other things... the UN charter is there."
Disagreements over the wording of the Delhi Declaration were underlined Saturday after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, attending in place of President Vladimir Putin, said his country had been prepared to block any declaration that does not reflect its views on the Ukraine war.
READ |"Negotiated With Russia, China, Only Last Night...": G20 Sherpa On Consensus
The West, meanwhile, had initially hardened its stance, insisting on stronger language.
India had argued that the G20, while it could condemn suffering caused by the war - could do no more as is "a premier forum for economic cooperation" and not to resolve geopolitical and security issues.
Speaking at his press conference today, Mr Lavrov claimed victory for Russia as it had been "able to prevent the West's attempts to 'Ukrainize' the summit agenda. "The text doesn't mention Russia at all."
He slammed "Anglo-Saxons" and NATO for their "aggressive policy" and for the prolonged war in Ukraine, which Russia launched in February last year and calls a "special military operation".
France's Praise For India's G20 Negotiators
On Saturday, French diplomatic officials told NDTV of the high regard they had for India's negotiators, including sherpa Amitabh Kant, who led the more than 200 rounds of talks that yielded the declaration.
READ | France Says Not Many In Position To Negotiate As India: Sources On G20
A French source said India had assumed "a kind of power... ability to bring countries together" and that there are not many nations in the world today that can bring warring parties to a common table.
"This is something important," the source stressed.