India is set to host the Group of 20 nations summit in September but has not yet arrived at an agreement over the language used to describe Russia's war in Ukraine. A source close to the matter told Bloomberg that India is becoming more optimistic about achieving consensus.
India's top G-20 negotiator, Amitabh Kant on Thursday said that the international body is not close to reaching a settlement over the language. He was speaking after a meeting among negotiators this week at Kumarakom.
Both Russia and China have objected to the words used to describe the war.
The meeting in Indonesia last year saw regular walkouts but recent meetings have shown positive development. Representatives of various nations are "staying in the same room". This has raised hope for compromise but any escalation of the war can upset the "fragile balance".
New Delhi is under pressure to show that it can forge an agreement. PM Modi is also aiming to use India's G-20 presidency to "depoliticise" the supply chains of food and fertiliser. The war has had a major impact on both.
Kant claimed to have held a "very positive and optimistic" meeting with his Russian counterpart Svetlana Lukash. He said they discussed "everything under the sun". He added that the G-20 also needs to discuss pressing issues like "global debt and climate change" and the Russia-Ukraine issue cannot hold many other issues back.