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BALI, INDONESIA: Russia’s prime diplomat stormed out of talks with G20 international ministers assembly in Indonesia on Friday as Western powers criticised Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Washington and allies condemned Russia’s assault forward of the assembly earlier than international minister Sergei Lavrov confronted what US secretary of state Antony Blinken referred to as a barrage of Western criticism on the closed-door talks.
“What we have heard in the present day already is a powerful refrain from world wide… concerning the want for the aggression to finish,” Blinken mentioned from the assembly on the resort island of Bali.
Blinken and Lavrov had joined colleagues for day-long talks of their first assembly for the reason that outbreak of conflict, with the host instantly telling them the battle should finish via negotiations.
However Lavrov walked out of a morning session as German counterpart Annalena Baerbock criticised Moscow over its invasion, diplomats mentioned.
He additionally left a day session earlier than Ukrainian international minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed the ministers nearly and was not current as Blinken condemned Russia.
“Russia was so remoted that Lavrov left the convention at noon after talking,” French international minister Catherine Colonna mentioned in an interview with AFP.
“There was not a state to defend the Russian angle, to subscribe to the Russian logic.”
EU international coverage chief Josep Borrell instructed AFP Lavrov “wasn’t listening to others” within the assembly.
“That is not essentially the most constructive strategy to attend a G20 assembly,” he mentioned.
Western diplomats mentioned Lavrov heard no unambiguous help throughout the session, even from nations that don’t staunchly again the US and European place on Ukraine.
“I believe Russia was stunned by what number of G20 individuals made forceful statements about Russian aggression,” a Western official mentioned on situation of anonymity.
One other Western official predicted President Vladimir Putin would assume twice about attending the summit later this yr after the criticism confronted by Lavrov.
Talking outdoors the Mulia lodge, Lavrov remained defiant and accused Western nations of avoiding “speaking about international financial points” as a substitute of the conflict.
“From the second they converse, they launch into fevered criticism of Russia,” he instructed reporters.
Blinken shunned a bilateral assembly with Lavrov and as a substitute accused Russia of triggering a world meals disaster, demanding Moscow permit grain shipments out of war-battered Ukraine.
“To our Russian colleagues: Ukraine shouldn’t be your nation. Its grain shouldn’t be your grain. Why are you blocking the ports? It is best to let the grain out,” Blinken mentioned within the closed-door talks, in line with a Western official current.
Lavrov earlier instructed reporters he wouldn’t “go working” after Washington for talks.
“It was not us who deserted contact, it was america,” he mentioned.
Earlier than the assembly, Blinken sat down together with his French and German counterparts and a senior British official to debate “Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable conflict of selection” in Ukraine, the State Division mentioned in an announcement.
However the gathering was quickly overshadowed by the killing of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a marketing campaign occasion on Friday.
After information of Abe’s loss of life emerged, Blinken mourned the longtime ally of Washington as a “chief with nice imaginative and prescient” who boosted US-Japan relations.
“It’s a shock. It is profoundly disturbing,” he mentioned.
In closing remarks, Indonesian international minister Retno Marsudi mentioned “individuals expressed deep concern concerning the humanitarian impacts of the conflict” in Ukraine, and “some members expressed condemnation” of the invasion.
A US official indicated Washington didn’t wish to embarrass Indonesia on the assembly by strolling out on Lavrov, who final met Blinken in July.
However there was no household photograph of the G20 ministers as is customary.
The hosts have addressed US considerations about Lavrov attending partially by inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the G20 summit in November.
In his handle on Friday, Ukraine’s Kuleba instructed ministers to “keep in mind about 344 households who’ve misplaced their kids when listening to Russian lies”.
Blinken’s efforts to have a strong Western stance in opposition to Russia on the assembly have been diluted after British international minister Liz Truss pulled out following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation as chief of his social gathering on Thursday.
Whereas in Bali, Blinken will even search to reopen dialogue with Beijing in talks on Saturday together with his Chinese language counterpart Wang Yi, the primary in months after tensions grew to become strained over points together with Taiwan.
The assembly comes as US President Joe Biden voices hope for a dialog within the coming weeks with Chinese language President Xi Jinping, with whom he final spoke in March.
Lavrov met Wang on Thursday to debate Russia’s invasion, which Moscow says it launched to cease Ukraine from becoming a member of the NATO army alliance.
The US has condemned Beijing’s help for Russia, and Blinken is predicted to reiterate these warnings in talks with Wang.
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