G20 meeting ends without joint statement over disagreement on Ukraine

The two-day meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) representatives ends without a joint communiqué as the participants could not agree on the issue of the Russia's all-out war against Ukraine, Reuters reported on July 18.

The meeting's host India, which currently holds the G20 presidency, was unable to find a consensus on the final statement, as Russia wished to refer to its invasion as a "special military operation" while other members insisted on using the term "war," Reuters wrote.

The news agency cited an Indian official that the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and France pushed for a clear condemnation of the aggression, a move opposed by Russia and China.

India took a neutral stance and said earlier that brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine is beyond the remit of the G20.

The Indian government has been urging a "diplomatic solution" to the war while refusing to side with the West in sanctions against Russia.

The G20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world's leading economies, comprised of 19 countries and the EU.