India does not want to discuss additional sanctions against Russia during its presidency of G20

India does not want the G20 to discuss additional sanctions against Russia over its invasion in Ukraine during New Delhi's year-long presidency of the bloc.

This is reported by Reuters with reference to 6 high-ranking Indian officials.

Financial leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations will meet on the sidelines of a G20 gathering in India on 23 February, the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, to discuss measures against Russia, Japan's finance minister said on Tuesday.

Officials directly involved in this week's meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors said the economic consequences of the war would be discussed, but India did not want to consider any additional measures against Russia.

"India is not keen to discuss or support any additional sanctions against Russia during the G20," one of the officials said.

"The existing sanctions against Russia have a negative impact on the world," he claims.

Another official said sanctions were not a G20 issue. "G20 is an economic forum for discussing growth issues." the official said.

Spokesmen for the Indian government, as well as the finance and foreign affairs ministries, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"On Wednesday, the first day of meetings to draft the G20 communique, officials struggled to find an acceptable word to describe the Russia-Ukraine conflict, delegates of at least seven countries present in the meetings said.

India tried to form a consensus on the words by calling it a "crisis" or a "challenge" instead of a "war", the officials said, but the discussions concluded without a decision.

These discussions have been rolled over to Thursday when U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will be part of the meetings.

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has previously said the war disproportionately hit poorer countries by raising prices for fuel and food.

India's neighbours, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, have all sought loans from the International Monetary Fund in recent months to tide over economic troubles brought about by the pandemic and the war.

Economichna Pravda

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