Leniency towards Putin: the G20 summit avoids condemning Russia for the war in Ukraine

This year's statement was starkly different from last year's statement in which Russian aggression was openly condemned.

The G20 summit kicked off Saturday in New Delhi, India, and the statement released by the group named several agreements, including a consensus that avoided condemning Russia for invading Ukraine.

Although the international group has divided opinions on the war in Ukraine, this year's statement marked a difference from the previous year; no words openly condemning Russia's aggression.

In the joint statement, the nations said countries should refrain from using force to seek territorial acquisitions. They also stressed that the use or threat of nuclear weapons is considered "inadmissible" and called for an end to attacks on infrastructure related to food and energy security. However, the group at no time used language criticizing Vladimir Putin's actions.

Instead, the group focused on finding common ground for phasing out carbon emissions as a key point in tackling global warming.

At the financial level, the summit assured that it will be responsible for protecting "the vulnerable, through promoting equitable growth and improving macroeconomic and financial stability." One of the proposals to strengthen economic growth came from a project delivered by the United States and its allies, on the construction of a rail and maritime corridor that would link India with the Middle East and Europe.

"[It] will be comprised of two separate corridors, the east corridor connecting India to the Arabian Gulf and the northern corridor connecting the Arabian Gulf to Europe. It will include a railway that, upon completion, will provide a reliable and cost-effective cross-border ship-to-rail transit network to supplement existing maritime and road transport routes – enabling goods and services to transit to, from, and between India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Europe", reported the White House.

The group also discussed rising commodity prices, pressures on the cost of living and other global problems such as poverty, inequality and pandemics, among others.

"Together we have an opportunity to build a better future," the group members said.