Lavrov was boycotted at the G20 meeting: “When will you stop the war?”

At the G20 summit, which takes place at the level of foreign ministers on the Indonesian island of Bali, the heads of diplomacy of industrialized countries boycotted the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov. They even refused to take a group photo with him.

It is reported by Kyodo News.

Commenting on the refusal of a joint photo with him, Lavrov said that he “did not invite anyone to be photographed” and in general “did not invite anyone anywhere.” He also added that he went to the G20 meeting because he was simply “interested in understanding what the West breathes.”

As you know, for Lavrov, the G20 meeting is the first opportunity to take part in a multilateral event with the participation of foreign ministers of industrialized countries after the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The boycott of the Russian delegation was manifested not only in the refusal to take a photo with Lavrov. According to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, at a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 countries in protest against Russia’s military aggression delegations from the United States, Canada and Europe left
when Russian officials were about to speak.

According to Reuters, at the beginning of the ministerial meeting, when the Russian Foreign Minister shook hands with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi, there were cries of “When will you stop the war” and “Why don’t you stop the war.”

In addition, a senior Indonesian Foreign Ministry official told the agency that no communiqué was expected from Friday’s meeting. The US State Department said that as a result of the meeting, it is unlikely that “a consensus will be reached on Ukraine.”

Sergei Lavrov. Photo: Kyodo

Lavrov leaves the summit ahead of schedule

According to Spiegel, Lavrov leaves the G20 meeting ahead of schedule. He will not participate in the formal meal and work session in the afternoon.

“Lavrov will still hold bilateral talks, then he will turn to the press and leave,” – said the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry left the meeting room immediately after the speech. He also did not answer questions from German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock.

Recall that the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin confirmed his participation in the G20 summit. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was invited to speak at the event. The summit is scheduled for November 15-16.

Earlier we wrote that the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wants to see Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit.