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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Rachael Burford

Rishi Sunak lands in India for historic G20 summit where he will urge world leaders to stand against Putin

Rishi Sunak will urge world leaders not to see the war in Ukraine as just a "European problem" at the G20 summit in India this weekend.

The prime minister landed in Delhi on Friday morning, saying he hoped to be welcomed as “India’s son-in-law” during his first visit to the country since entering Downing Street.

Mr Sunak plans to use the historic trip to make headway on a trade deal and persuade countries to work to bypass Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian grain.

He also expected to use a meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to push him into taking a tougher stance towards Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that Britain needs to "remind the world" that war in Ukraine is  "everybody’s problem".

"Our position on Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is clear," he told Sky News on Friday.

"I know a lot of countries in the world see it as a European problem and part of the reason that the Prime Minister is going to the G20 and talking to nations around the world, not just India, is to highlight the fact this is not just a European issue.

"The cynical attacks on grain storage and exportation infrastructure is increasing hunger around the world, something that we indeed, intend to take action on with a food security summit that we’re going to be hosting next year.

"And we need to remind the world that this is everybody’s problem."

There are notable leaders absent from the summit, including Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, who is missing the conference for the second year in a row, and China’s president Xi Jinping.

Mr Sunak said Putin is "the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality."

The PM and his wife Akshata Murty gave namaste greetings to the airport welcoming party after landing in the Indian capital. A dance troupe also performed for the couple.

He is the first prime minister of Indian descent to visit the country.

The government hopes Mr Sunak’s Indian, and the presence of his wife, the daughter of one of India’s richest men, will prompt a warm reception.

Speaking on the way to the summit, Mr Sunak said he was "excited to be back" and called India a "country that is very near and dear to me".

He added: "It’s obviously special. I saw somewhere that I was referred to as India’s son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately."

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