Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday he would not chase after the United States for talks as his counterpart Antony Blinken declined to see him at a G20 meeting in Indonesia.
“It was not us who abandoned contact; it was the United States,” Lavrov told reporters on the island of Bali. “We are not running after anybody suggesting meetings.”
The United States has sought to isolate Russia on the world stage and aides to Blinken said they saw no point in speaking to Lavrov so long as Moscow pursues its war in Ukraine.
Lavrov, while saluting host Indonesia, denounced the approach of Western nations at the Group of 20, which was set up as a club of the world’s major economies.
“Our Western partners are trying to avoid talking about global economic issues,” he said.
“From the moment they speak, they launch into fevered criticism of Russia over the situation in Ukraine, calling us aggressors and occupiers,” he said. “Everyone is telling us to put an end to the operation and reach a peaceful solution.”
He added, “Despite the behaviour of our Western colleagues, this is a useful discussion.”
