Warning of divisions… the most prominent findings of the G20 final declaration

The participating European leaders sought to formulate a common position on a plan presented by US President Donald Trump to end the war in Ukraine, a plan that European capitals considered biased towards Russia’s interests.

Group of Twenty

During the opening session, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the G20 "You may be nearing the end of a cycle" In its history, pointing to the difficulty of reaching consensus on sensitive geopolitical issues.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that the road ahead for the group "difficult"calling for the restoration of its constructive role in facing global challenges.

While Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang considered that "Unilateralism and trade protectionism are rampant"wondering about the fate of international solidarity on which joint action mechanisms were founded.

Cross-border crises

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tried to mitigate the impact of Washington’s absence, stressing that the G20 remains a pivotal platform for international cooperation, and that multilateralism remains the most effective way to deal with cross-border crises.

The group includes 19 countries in addition to the European and African Unions, and represents about 85% of The global economy.

The summit was affected by the absence of the United States, in addition to the representation of China and Russia at a lower level than the presidential level, as the Chinese Prime Minister attended instead of Xi Jinping, while the Kremlin sent its advisor Maxim Oreshkin instead of President Vladimir Putin.

Nevertheless, the leaders adopted a final declaration that addressed issues of climate, energy, debt and strategic minerals, and included a call for peace. "fair" In Ukraine, the Congo, Sudan and Palestine.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict

The Argentine Foreign Minister expressed objection to the way some files were dealt with, especially the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but that did not prevent the declaration from being passed unanimously.

A number of prominent leaders such as Narendra Modi, Lula da Silva and Recep Tayyip Erdogan also participated in the summit.

Following the opening session, a number of meetings were held. European leaders held a special meeting to discuss Trump’s plan regarding Ukraine, before issuing a joint statement in which they considered the American plan to be valid "The foundation needs more work"

Ending the war in Ukraine

The statement stressed the refusal to change the borders by force, warning of the proposed restrictions on the Ukrainian army because they might make the country vulnerable to future attacks.

Macron, Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed, following a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that any initiative to end the war must gain consensus within the European Union and NATO.

And while it was absent. Regarding the current summit, Washington is preparing to host the 2026 summit at a Trump-owned resort in Florida, in a move that has sparked additional controversy about the future of the group and the nature of American representation in it.