At the G20 summit, accusations from the West and Russia collide. Foreign Minister Lavrov reacted to Baerbock’s call for an immediate end to the Ukraine war by criticizing the “arbitrary” sanctions imposed by the West. He even claims that the West wants to appropriate natural resources and manipulate markets.
At a meeting of the G20 countries, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the Western sanctions against his country as arbitrary. “It is necessary to put a stop to illegal sanctions, any violation of international freedom of trade, market manipulation, the arbitrary introduction of price caps and other attempts to appropriate foreign mineral resources,” Lavrov said, according to the Interfax news agency in New Delhi.
At the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers in India’s capital, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on for more than a year, is one of the most important topics. Among other things, the EU has put a price cap on Russian oil in order to make it more difficult for Moscow to finance the war. Other G20 countries such as the USA and Great Britain have also imposed a whole series of sanctions.
Lavrov’s appearance was also the focus because the 73-year-old caused a scandal at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting last year. Immediately after his speech, he left the hall and no longer listened to the comments of his critics. This time Lavrov remained seated. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: “It is good that you are here in the room to listen.” She appealed to the Russian minister: “Stop the war. Not in a month or a year, but today.”
