The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that its head, Sergey Lavrov, spoke with ambassadors of friendly nations about the tasks involved in preparing and conducting the upcoming G20 summit in New Delhi. The discussion took place with members of the Group of Twenty, as reported by TASS. The ministry’s briefing notes that on June 28 Lavrov met with representatives from a broad cross-section of G20 economies: Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, China, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and South Africa.
During the encounter, the participants reviewed the items on the G20 agenda under India’s current presidency. The statement emphasized that particular focus was placed on organizing and delivering the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9-10 this year.
In related remarks, Lavrov asserted that with Moscow’s active backing, the issue of admitting the African Union to the G20 would be addressed soon. This position aligns with broader international discussions about expanding the forum to reflect a wider set of global voices.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni indicated support for including the African Union in the G20 during a G7 session in Hiroshima, Japan. Meloni suggested that Rome should also publicly back the move at the Hiroshima meeting.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in India clarified that Zelensky was not invited to the G20 summit, reiterating the forum’s established invitation criteria and the current agenda under the Indian presidency. (Source attributions: official statements, TASS reports, and adjacent commentary.)