India hopes to persuade Group of 20 (G20) member states to find amicable solutions to geopolitical issuesthe head of the country’s negotiating team said today at the G20 summit, Amitabh Kantanswering a question about the Russia-Ukraine war.

The conflict, since it began last year in February, has cast a heavy shadow over global diplomacy. India, which now chairs the G20, has taken a mostly neutral stance, generally avoiding blaming Russia and calling for a diplomatic solution.

Speaking at a Business 20 (B20) meeting in New Delhi, Kant said the G20 expected economic growth, but the war had “enormous consequences in economic terms” creating challenges in terms of food, fuel, and fertilizers.

“War is not of our making,” Kant said. “The challenge we face is to put development issues right at the forefront.”

The G20 summit is expected to take place next month.

During the two-day event, India aims to reach agreement among members on issues ranging from multilateral banking reforms to the development of a universal approach to cryptocurrencies.