The leaders’ communique was expected to include a paragraph carried over from last year’s Bali summit declaration condemning Russian "aggression" against Ukraine, but two European officials involved in preparations for the New Delhi summit told the Financial Times that divisions over Ukraine had deepened since last November.
"A number of developing country members have retreated from language agreed in Bali… It will be a battle [to reach consensus]," one of the officials said.
Amitabh Kant, the Indian sherpa for the summit, appeared upbeat as he spoke to The Times about his expectations for the summit.
Kant said India would strive to bring a consensus among the G20 leaders, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, opting out of the summit.
Thus year's G20 summit will be held in the Indian capital of New Delhi from September 9-10.
India assumed the G20 presidency in December 2022 and will hold it until November 30, 2023, with around 200 meetings of the group at different levels expected to take place during this period.
India has designated the "One Earth, One Family, One Future" slogan as its G20 presidency theme to promote unity in dealing with global economic issues.