Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov avoided meetings of G20 foreign ministers on Friday (July 8th) after Western statements condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sergey Lavrov and his American counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, were together for the first time since the start of the war in February at a meeting of the heads of diplomacy of the G20 countries on the Indonesian island of Bali. “What we have already heard today is a strong chorus from all over the world, not just from the United States (…) for the (Russian) aggression to stop.Antony Blinken told reporters.
Sergey Lavrov was absent from several sessions
Indonesia, which seeks to maintain a position of neutrality as a G20 host country, has called for an end to the conflict from the beginning, stressing its serious consequences around the world. “Our duty is to end the war as soon as possible and settle our differences at the negotiating table, not on the battlefield.Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said this in the presence of his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The impact of warfelt worldwide, on food, energy and budgets“, he pointed out. “And as always, poor and developing countries suffer the most“.
Sergey Lavrov walked out of the morning session after his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock criticized Moscow over the war in Ukraine, diplomats said. Sergei Lavrov was also absent from the meeting, where Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba spoke online and as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken condemned Russia, several diplomats told AFP.
Antony Blinken refused to meet privately with his Russian counterpart and denounced Russia’s responsibility in the global food and energy crises, asking Moscow to allow grain products to exit Ukraine. In response, the Russian Foreign Minister said that he “will not runFor negotiations after Washington.
“Unjustified war”.
Sergey Lavrov condemned the approach of Western countries to use the G20 arena for something other than a forum for discussing the main global issues. “Our Western partners tried to avoid talking about global economic problems. As soon as they spoke, they almost immediately began to fiercely criticize Russia regarding the situation in Ukraine, calling us an aggressor.“, he regretted.
Antony Blinken had previously met with the French and German ministers and the British representative to talk about this war.”baseless and unreasonablesaid in a State Department statement. They researched “ways to address global food security concerns stemming from Russia’s deliberate targeting of Ukrainian agriculture“. The United States, with the support of some of its Western allies, called for Russia to be excluded from international forums.
The invasion of Ukraine changed priorities
However, Indonesia, being concerned about its neutrality, confirmed its invitation to the Russian Foreign Minister, at the same time inviting its Ukrainian counterpart. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba asked the participants.remembering the 344 families who lost their children listening to Russian lies“. “The minister of the country responsible for their deaths is before you today to share his thoughts on how Russia views cooperation in our globalized world.“, he continued.
The meeting was also overshadowed by the statement about the attack on the life of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the pre-election rally in his country. This attack on a long-time US ally “very sad moment– estimated Antony Blinken, while the death of Shinzo Abe was not yet announced, but he was in a state.heavy“.
This G20 is the prelude to the summit of the heads of states to be held on the island of Indonesia in November, which was supposed to be dedicated to the means of ensuring the global recovery after the coronavirus pandemic. But the invasion of Ukraine has shifted priorities, rallying Westerners to condemn the Russian offensive and raising food and energy prices. There will be no group photo after the tense meeting, contrary to tradition, an Indonesian official said.
Departure of the British
The front of the Western allies, however, was damaged by the hasty departure of Liz Truss, the head of British diplomacy, after the announcement of Boris Johnson’s resignation. He left Bali on Friday morning, a British embassy official confirmed to AFP. US Secretary of State Blinken was also expected to try to restart a dialogue with Beijing at talks scheduled for Saturday with his counterpart Wang Yi after months of tension over several issues, including Taiwan.
The two officials will discuss “guardrailsRegarding the highly tense bilateral relations, but also considering the possibilities of cooperation, the US East Asia official said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart on Thursday for talks dominated by Ukraine.
Source: Le Figaro
