Russia’s Lavrov Dismisses West’s Criticism at G20 – Al-Manar TV Lebanon

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slammed the West’s “frenzied” condemnation of the Ukraine war at a G20 conference on Friday, accusing Russia’s adversaries of sabotaging a chance to address global economic challenges.

At the summit, host Indonesia encouraged the G20 to help stop the crisis in Ukraine, which put some of Russia’s harshest opponents in the same room as Moscow’s top diplomat. “Aggressors’, ‘invaders’, ‘occupiers’ – we heard a lot of things today,” Lavrov told reporters.

He said the Western debate “strayed almost immediately, as soon as they took the floor, to the frenzied criticism of the Russian Federation in connection with the situation in Ukraine.”

“During the discussion, Western partners avoided following the mandate of the G20, from dealing with issues of the world economy,” Lavrov said.

Russia says its special military operation is aimed at damaging the Ukrainian military, driving out dangerous nationalists, and preventing the US from exploiting Ukraine to attack Russia.

Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of carrying out an imperial-style land grab. According to them, Russia has no basis for the conflict.

Russia considers that the West’s attempt to isolate Moscow with the worst sanctions in modern history amounts to a declaration of economic war and that Russia will now turn to China, India, and other non-Western powers.

Lavrov stated that if the West wanted Ukraine to beat Russia, there would be nothing to discuss with the West, which he claimed was blocking Kiev from seeking a peace settlement.