Leaders of the G20 began arriving in New Delhi today, Friday, for their annual meeting as negotiators seek to bridge differences over the war in Ukraine to reach a consensus at the summit hosted by India.

The Indian authorities removed slums and chased away monkeys and stray dogs to keep them off the streets of the capital, and closed businesses, offices, and schools in the central commercial and government district as part of security measures during the two-day summit.

However, sharp divisions over the Russian war threaten to derail the summit, hindering progress on issues such as food security, the debt crisis, and cooperation to combat climate change.

It is also expected that the West and its allies will dominate the summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the meeting and will instead send Premier Li Qiang, while Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be absent.

The summit will remain the largest gathering of global leaders ever in India, with the presence of U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and others confirmed.

The Financial Times reported yesterday, Thursday, that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will urge Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "confront" Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and use his influence to help end the war.

The hardline stance on the war has prevented reaching even a single agreement in ministerial meetings so far during India's presidency of the G20 this year, leaving it to the leaders to find a way to overcome this issue, if possible.