Kallas Accuses Lavrov Of Lying At G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting
Sharp disagreements emerged at the negotiating table. In particular, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accused Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of spreading false narratives about the war in Ukraine.
“He put forward a lot of lies, a lot of false narratives,” Kallas told AFP.
European officials reportedly also sought to increase pressure on Moscow, including to secure a ceasefire in the Black Sea, a key corridor for agricultural exports.
Lavrov, for his part, was“quite provocative” in his remarks, a European diplomatic source said.
Lavrov briefly spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is hosting the meeting, on the sidelines. According to the Russian minister, the conversation was“decent.”
At a press conference, Lavrov criticized the Europeans for their“arrogant boycott,” while praising the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for its willingness to“engage with Moscow.”
Plans for the traditional group photo of G20 foreign ministers were scrapped after some European officials objected to being photographed alongside Lavrov, an AFP diplomatic source said.
A U.S. official said the group photo had been canceled to avoid allowing "a ceremonial photo opportunity to become a diplomatic distraction.”
The meeting in Atlanta, held just days before the U.S. midterm elections, is laying the groundwork for the G20 leaders' summit scheduled to take place at President Trump's resort in Miami in December.
Instead of a final declaration, the two-day talks are expected to conclude on Saturday with a summary report prepared by the United States.
Read also: Japan's FM urges Russia to release journalist detained on SakhalinAs Ukrinform reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to travel to the G20 summit in Miami and meet Vladimir Putin if the United States invited the Kremlin leader to attend the forum.
In April, it became known that the United States planned to invite Putin to the G20 leaders' summit, scheduled for December 14–15 in Miami.
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