Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Friday that Moscow will veto any final resolution from the G20 conference this month that does not represent Moscow’s stance on the Ukraine and other problems.
Lavrov, who has been President Vladimir Putin’s foreign minister since 2004, will represent Russia at the G-20 summit, which will be held in New Delhi from September 9 to 10, this year.
Since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March on the grounds that he may have committed war crimes in Ukraine, it is not known if he has travelled overseas.
Putin claims that the arrogant West intends to demolish Russia and seize control of its abundant natural resources, and this is how the Kremlin portrays the Ukraine war, which started when Russia invaded in February 2022.
The invasion, which Russia refers to as a “special military operation,” has prompted the West to implement sweeping economic sanctions in response. The West denies having such ambitions, but asserts that it wants Ukraine to beat Russia on the battlefield.
Other major nations, like China, India, and Brazil, have called for peace while reserving the right to decide how they want to interact with Moscow. China has charged that by arming Ukraine, the West is escalating the conflict.
In discussions leading up to the summit, the West had brought up Ukraine, according to Lavrov, and Russia had responded that “the issue is closed for us.”
He said that the West was undermining international institutions by advancing its own agenda and proposed that, if a consensus could not be achieved at the G20 conference, the G20 presidency issue a non-binding communique.
“Another option is to adopt a document that focuses on specific decisions in the sphere of G20 competences, and let everyone say the rest on their own behalf,” added Lavrov.
