蜜芽传媒

Top diplomats from G20 member states have arrived in Delhi as tensions from the Ukraine war continue to overshadow relations. Without mentioning the conflict, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on world leaders to find "common ground" on divisive issues at the meeting of foreign ministers, ahead of the summit later this year.

India has taken a neutral stance on the Ukraine conflict. But Suhasini Haidar, the diplomatic affairs editor for The Hindu - who is at the meeting - says India's international position is increasingly difficult having gone from a "sweet spot" to a "hot seat".

"India is in a difficult spot: until a few months ago it was in a sweet spot where it kept its relations with Russia - buying oil at increasing levels - while it continued to keep its ties with the Western world. But now India is in the hot seat."

"Western nations have changed the goal posts a bit; in the beginning they said don't buy oil from Russia. More recently we've heard: buy oil from Russia so long as it's below a certain price cap... it keeps the oil market stable [so] Russia doesn't get as much revenue as before."

(Pic: US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, walks behind Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, at the G20 meeting in Delhi; Credit: Reuters)

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