Politics
Russian ambassador snubbed for G20 Summit group photo by Western leaders in show of support for Ukraine
Lavrov left early on Friday and brushed off the incident when asked about it back in his home country
July 9, 2022 12:31pm
Updated: July 9, 2022 2:16pm
The traditional “family photo” at the G20 summit this week in Indonesia, was called off after several Western leaders refused to be pictured alongside Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov over his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Lavrov left early on Friday and brushed off the incident when asked about it back in his home country.
“In terms of reports that no one was going to take pictures with me or meet me - I didn’t ask anyone to be photographed with me,” the shunned diplomat told Russian state media.
““Yesterday, there was an reception that the Indonesians organized, it was sort of an introductory reception with a concert, and they [Western leaders] didn’t attend.”
The boycott was initiated by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to Kyodo news agency in Japan. He was joined by colleagues in the G7 with the United States – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.K.
The group also refused to go out to the dinner event on Thursday because Lavrov was attending, reported Kyodo.
Indonesia foreign minister Retno Marsuidi said she understood the decision, reports Reuters. She has appeared in several photos with her Russian counterpart.
The Russian diplomat was criticized for missing most of Friday’s afternoon’s session at the summit and leaving immediately after giving his remarks, which the EU foreign minister later told reporters was “not very respectful.”
A Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman reportedly told German press said Lavrov was “is still holding bilateral talks, then he will speak to the press and leave,” according to Politico Europe, who confirmed he did meet with Turkey’s Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and China’s Wang Yi.
After the closed-door G20 meeting, Lavrov dismissed the West’s “frenzied” and “expectedly unproductive” criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. He also hinted as potential negotiations with Ukraine about grain exports cut off by a Russian navy blockade in the Black Sea.
