Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov leaves G20 after disdain for photos

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stormed and returned home early after being scorned by other diplomats in G20 Summit – Who refused to take a group photo with him about his country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The foreign ministers who met in Bali, Indonesia, this week, did not take a group photo along the lines of the traditional “family”, after several of them reportedly refused to take a picture with Vladimir Putin’s top envoy.

Japan’s Kyodo News Agency She reported that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken led the photo boycott.

Blinken and other Western officials also decided to skip Thursday’s reception because Lavrov was there. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said she understood and respected their decision.

“We are talking about trying to create a comfortable situation for everyone,” Marsudi told reporters.

When journalists asked him why there was no group photo, Lavrov snapped: “I didn’t invite anyone to take a picture with me.”

The high-level summit in Bali was dominated by the Ukrainian war and its impact on food and energy security, and was discussed in almost all bilateral meetings.

At the beginning of the day’s events, shouts of “when are you going to stop the war” and “why don’t you stop the war” were heard as Lavrov shook hands with Marsudi, marking the ominous beginning of his rudeness.

Lavrov complained that Western ministers “almost immediately got lost, as soon as they took the floor, because of the rabid criticism of the Russian Federation regarding the situation in Ukraine.”

“Aggressors”, “invaders”, “occupiers” – we heard a lot of things today, ”said Lavrov.

Despite sitting at the same conference table for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Blinken and Lavrov visibly ignored each other.

“As you know, it was not we who gave up all contacts,” Lavrov told reporters after the first session. It was the United States. That’s all I can say. And we don’t run after anyone who proposes meetings. If they don’t want to talk, that’s their choice.”

When it was his turn to speak, Blinkin openly accused Russia of stealing millions of tons of Ukrainian grain.

Addressing Russia directly, he said to our Russian colleagues: Ukraine is not your country. His pills are not your pills. Why are the ports blocked? Said an unnamed Western official.

The official said Lavrov was not in the room at the time.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed the meeting virtually, claiming that Russia was playing the “Hunger Games” through its blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea port.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Indonesia said Lavrov left the room again during his speech.

After a chaotic fit of taking photos, Lavrov indicated his intention to leave the summit early.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the German news agency (dpa) that Lavrov will be absent from the afternoon meetings and the official dinner on Friday evening.

The EU foreign policy chief said Lavrov was not present for most of the afternoon session and left the room after making his remarks.

Josep Borrell told reporters that Lavrov spoke and did not wait to hear further remarks, in a behavior that “was not very respectful.”

with post wires