The White House announced that President Biden's official arrival in India will be followed by a handshake ceremony with Prime Minister Modi on Saturday, marking the beginning of a series of high-level discussions. The centerpiece of the visit will be the G20 Leaders' Summit, where leaders from around the world will convene to address pressing global issues.
President Biden's itinerary also includes a visit to the Raj Ghat Memorial to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday before he departs for Vietnam.
India, which assumed the presidency of the G20 in December, has been actively engaged in a series of meetings across 32 sectors. These events are poised to culminate with the highly anticipated meeting of heads of government and state representatives from the world's 20 largest economies.
Ahead of President Biden's visit to India, his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, acknowledged the challenges of achieving a consensus on the Ukraine crisis within the G20 forum. He did not expect Russia, represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, to change its position regarding the conflict. Sullivan noted that a majority of both the United Nations and G20 members opposed Russia's "illegal invasion" of Ukraine.
Sullivan emphasized that President Biden would make use of this global stage to condemn Russia's actions, which have "devastating consequences," and to promote a "just and durable peace" in accordance with the UN Charter, international law, and the notions of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Notably, both Moscow and Beijing have expressed opposition to including the agreed-upon language from the previous summit in Bali on the Ukraine crisis, potentially jeopardizing the prospects of a joint communique. However, Sullivan confirmed that India had signed onto the statement, aligning itself with the international consensus on the matter.
Sullivan further underscored the United States' deep commitment to the G20 as a forum for delivering meaningful outcomes, especially in the face of historic global economic challenges. He linked the American agenda at the summit with President Biden's domestic economic policies, emphasizing the importance of greater investments at home. The United States will push for an ambitious agenda focused on reforming multilateral development banks, particularly the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, with the aim of making them "bigger and better."
President Biden's visit to India for the G20 Summit underscores the significance of global cooperation in addressing critical issues, including the ongoing Ukraine crisis and economic reforms.