Trudeau says he wanted G20 to take stronger stand against Russia on war in Ukraine

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says if it were up to him, the G20 leaders' declaration on Russia's invasion of Ukraine would have been much stronger.

At a closing summit news conference on Sunday, Trudeau said, however, that if other leaders had their way, the declaration would have been much weaker.

"If it was just up to me, it would have been stronger, he said.

"The G20 is an extremely disparate group and we worked very hard to get as strong language as we possibly could," Trudeau told reporters.

"This is an important time to come together and put pressure on countries that do not align with our values," he said. "In that, we will continue to do that."

Global economic leaders agreed on a final declaration at the G20 summit held in New Delhi, but the language surrounding Russia's invasion of Ukraine has softened since the leaders last met.

Bali summit had criticized Russia

Gone is language from last year's G20 summit in Bali, where leaders directly criticized Russia's aggression in Ukraine and demanded its troops withdraw from the territory.

While the latest communiqué did not mention any aggression by Russia in its war on Ukraine, launched in February 2022, it said "all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state."

Meanwhile, the declaration calls for the "immediate and unimpeded" deliveries of grain, fertilizer and other food from Russia and Ukraine to meet the demand in developing countries, particularly those in Africa.

It also calls for the cessation of military destruction or other attacks on relevant infrastructure, as the violence is affecting food and energy security as well as supply chains.

The consensus statement from this year's summit in India was posted by the host country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, a day before the summit ends.