After a negative corona test, US President Joe Biden set off for the G20 summit in India. The president’s plane took off yesterday evening (local time) from Joint Base Andrews military airport not far from the US capital Washington, as journalists traveling with him reported.
According to the White House, the 80-year-old tested negative for the coronavirus yesterday for the fourth day in a row after his wife Jill Biden (72) was diagnosed with an infection on Monday.
Before the weekend summit in New Delhi, Biden wants to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. The meeting is likely to focus primarily on the topics of climate change, the role of the G20, the war in Ukraine and its effects on poorer countries. On Saturday, the heads of state and government of leading economic powers will come together for the two-day G20 summit. Biden then planned a stop in Vietnam.
Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez tested positive for the coronavirus yesterday and therefore had to cancel his participation in the G20 summit.
USA: Willingness to compromise
Before the G20 summit in India, the US government made it clear that it was aiming for a joint final declaration. “We are willing to compromise on many contentious issues so that we can agree on a text that everyone can live with,” said US President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, to journalists on board Air Force One the way to New Delhi. The United States had been working “day and night” on a joint statement in the past few days. Show a great will to reach consensus. However, there is still “a long way to go” until a final communiqué is reached and we have to wait and see what happens.
It remains to be seen whether there will be a joint final declaration at the end, as usual. The background is the dispute between the West and Russia over the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on for more than a year and a half. On Saturday, the heads of state and government of leading economic powers will meet for the two-day G20 summit.
When asked whether Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s absence would change the dynamics of the summit and make it easier to agree on a joint communiqué, Sullivan said no. Even though Xi will not be present, Prime Minister Li Qiang and a Chinese delegation will be there. “I can’t say that I’ve personally seen a fundamental change in their attitude just because President Xi isn’t there,” Sullivan said.
