Russia will not ‘chase after US’ talks says Lavrov at G20

Event concluded with no customary group pictures or joint statements as many western leaders boycotted Russia

Sergei Lavrov says Russia will not chase after the US for talks after Antony Blinken snubbed the Kremlin’s top diplomat at a G20 summit in Indonesia.

The meeting in Bali was the first time Russia’s top diplomat was meeting some of the country’s harshest critics since it invaded Ukraine in February. The G20 includes western countries that have imposed sanctions on Moscow for its war on Ukraine as well as those such as China and India, which have been far more muted in their response.

The war on Ukraine loomed large throughout the conference. Other issues on the agenda were rising energy prices, international financial stability, food costs, climate change and poverty.

The Russian foreign minister, who was attending the event despite objections from several western leaders, decried the “frenzied criticism” of the Kremlin, and lashed out at critics for allegedly ruining a chance to tackle global economic issues.

He remained absent from the addresses of German and Ukrainian diplomats, and walked out of events after hearing jeers of “when will you stop the war?” and “why don’t you stop the war?” from the media.

“‘Aggressors’, ‘invaders’, ‘occupiers’ – we heard a lot of things today,” Mr Lavrov told reporters after the first session of the talks, where he was seated between representatives from Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

“Everyone is telling us to put an end to the operation and reach a peaceful solution,” he said. “Despite the behaviour of our Western colleagues, this is a useful discussion.”

Russian foreign ministry press service shows Sergei Lavrov talking with Mexican foreign affairs secretary Marcelo Ebrard before the start of the opening session of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (EPA)

Referring to his counterpart Mr Blinken, who declined to see him at the summit, Mr Lavrov said: “You know, it was not us who abandoned all contacts.

“It was the United States. That’s all I can say. And we are not running after anybody suggesting meetings. If they don’t want to talk, it’s their choice.”

Suggesting that he was boycotted by western nations, Mr Lavrov said the diplomats “strayed [from the G20 mandate] almost immediately, as soon as they took the floor, to the frenzied criticism of the Russian Federation in connection with the situation in Ukraine”.

Mr Lavrov, however, directly met ministers from nations such as China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Argentina and Indonesia, which have declined to join West-led sanctions.

Russia’s Sergei Lavrov and India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar walk together during their bilateral meeting ahead of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Bali on Friday (AP)

Meanwhile, during the plenary session that was focussed on food and energy insecurity, Mr Blinken slammed Russia for blocking the export of Ukrainian grain.

“To our Russian colleagues: Ukraine is not your country,” Mr Blinken said. “Its grain is not your grain. Why are you blocking the ports? You should let the grain out.”

Mr Lavrov blamed “blatant Russophobia” of western nations that has impacted the global economy because of sanctions against Moscow.

The Russian diplomat walked out of the proceedings at least twice: once when Ukrainian foreign minister began a virtual speech, and again when his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock spoke.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken at a G20 meeting in Bali on Friday (AP)

There were no customary group pictures of the so-called G20 family while the US had previously hinted there would be no group communique.

After the conclusion of the meeting, Ms Marsudi was unable to point to any agreements reached by the participants but said only “some countries expressed condemnation of the act of invasion”.

The event on Friday was also shrouded by political upheaval in Britain, the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and Taiwan’s alarm over China allegedly violating its airspace.

Additional reporting by agencies