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.
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