The gathering was dominated by the war in Ukraine and its impact on the global economy. “It is our responsibility to end the war as soon as possible and settle our differences at the negotiating table, and not on the battlefield,” Marsudi said at the start of the meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali, calling for a quick end to Russian aggression in Lavrov’s presence. She warned that the consequences of the war, including rising energy and food prices, would hit poor countries the hardest.
According to the DPA agency, the Russian minister will not attend the official banquet or the afternoon meeting, but according to the diplomatic sources of the AFP agency, he did take part in the morning meeting. But when Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke to the heads of diplomacy via video, he was not present.
The AP agency noted that it was the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion that Lavrov met in the same room with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and many other major players in world politics. According to AFP, Blinken spoke directly to his Russian counterpart at the morning session.
“When will you stop the war?”
“Ukraine is not your country. Their grain is not your grain. Why are you blocking ports? You should allow the export of grain,” Blinken told Lavrov, who he refused to meet on the sidelines of the meeting, according to an unnamed diplomatic source.
Lavrov’s first partner during bilateral negotiations on Friday was Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, whom the head of Russian diplomacy informed about the continuation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both ministers condemned the anti-Russian sanctions.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced on Friday, according to the TASS agency, that he and Lavrov discussed the mechanism of grain export from Ukrainian ports. Lavrov also met with his counterparts from Argentina, Brazil, India and South Korea.
As Lavrov shook hands with the hostess, there were shouts of “When will you stop the war?” and “Why don’t you end the war?”, Reuters reported. The traditional group photo of the ministers was not taken this time, and in protest against the Russian invasion, ministers from the G7 group boycotted Thursday’s reception, noted the Japanese Kyodo agency. The European Union has said it does not want to allow the G20 to become a platform for Russian propaganda.
Lavrov complains of frenzied criticism
According to the TASS agency, Lavrov called “non-compliance with protocol” on the part of Western representatives Russophobia, but such behavior was to be expected, according to him. He also reiterated the Kremlin’s previous position that the West would not allow Ukraine to negotiate for peace, but wished to defeat Russia on the battlefield.
“Aggressors, invaders, occupiers – we have heard enough today,” Lavrov said. The West’s discussion “almost immediately, as soon as they got to the floor, turned to furious criticism of the Russian Federation in connection with the situation in Ukraine,” he added.
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Diplomats consider it unlikely that a joint document will emerge from the meeting. “With the Russian presence and participation, I definitely doubt that there would be a consensus on, for example, Ukraine,” a high-ranking American diplomat said before the meeting, according to Reuters.
The Russian invasion has cast a cloud over Indonesia’s G20 presidency, but the host tried, in her words, to “create an atmosphere that is comfortable for everyone.” For the first time ever since Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, all the major players gathered in one room.
The G20 group brings together countries that represent two-thirds of the world’s population and 80 percent of the world’s economy.
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