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Western plan to isolate Russia at G20 failed: Moscow
"The G-7's plan to boycott Russia at the G-20 has failed," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on messaging app Telegram.
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Russian's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on July 8, 2022.
(AFP/Stefani Reynolds)
The West failed to isolate Russia at the G20 summit over Moscow's military offensive in Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry said on Friday.
"The G-7's plan to boycott Russia at the G-20 has failed," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on messaging app Telegram.
She also accused Germany's foreign minister of "lying" after Annalena Baerbock criticised Moscow for blocking dialogue with international partners after her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov walked out of her speech.
"What utter nonsense," Zakharova said.
She said Lavrov was in the room when the meeting began and "about two hours later he began to hold bilateral talks with colleagues in the same forum in the next room".
She said "other ministers" were also in that room "since face-to-face forums are held exactly for this purpose -- for meeting and contacts".
Diplomats said the Russian minister had also ditched an afternoon session before a virtual appearance by Ukraine's foreign minister and was not present as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Russia in the closed-door meeting in Bali.
On Friday, Baerbock criticised Moscow for blocking dialogue with international partners after diplomats said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of her speech to a Group of 20 meeting on Friday.
Speaking to German television from the G20 gathering in Bali, Baerbock said Lavrov "left the first session halfway through" and skipped a second session "which shows even more clearly that he's not interested in international cooperation or dialogue with the other G19 partners".
Diplomats said Lavrov left the room when Baerbock was criticising Moscow over the Ukraine war during the G20 session.
He later also ditched an afternoon session before a virtual appearance by Ukraine's foreign minister and was not present as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Russia in the closed-door meeting in Bali, the diplomats said.
"It underscores that the Russian government is not showing a millimetre of willingness to talk, particularly on the important question of how we will grapple with the global food crisis," she said.
Baerbock said although the remaining 19 countries had differing views on "Russia's war of aggression", they were "very clear in appealing to Russia that this war must end".
"The majority of the countries made clear that Russia has the responsibility to immediately stop the bombing," she said.
