Friday’s gathering was Sergei Lavrov’s first direct confrontation with Western leaders since Russia attacked Ukraine and he accused the West of frenzied criticism of what he claimed were justified actions by Moscow. In a stern but brief lecture at the Bali meeting hosted by Indonesia, this year’s G20 chairman Lavrov said: “If the West does not want talks but wants Ukraine to defeat Russia on the battlefield – why both have expressed opinions – then perhaps there is nothing to discuss with the West.” Lavrov, who attended the meeting between Saudi Arabia and Mexico, also accused the West of pressuring Ukraine to “use its weapons” in the fighting. He left when the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, began to speak. He then said he had come to Bali to get an impression of “how the West breathes”. It was obvious that the West did not use the G20 for the purposes for which it was created, Lavrov said. Participants from developing countries did not support this approach, he claimed. “Aggressors, intruders, tenants. We have heard enough of such things today,” he said, describing the speeches of his Western counterparts. He said some of the speeches were made for theatrical effect, citing Boris Johnson as a prime example. “Well, he resigned, so be it,” Lavrov said. “Everyone said that Russia should be isolated. But so far his own party has isolated Boris Johnson.” Much of the meeting and discussions on the sidelines were spent trying to persuade Russia to allow the export of Ukrainian grain stocks through an independent, secure maritime corridor in the Black Sea. But the talks, led largely by Turkey and the UN, have been going on for weeks without significant progress. Lavrov said: “Ukraine should end the blockade of its ports, mine them or ensure passage through the minefields.” After that, Russia and Turkey would ensure the safety of cargo ships outside Ukrainian sovereign territory so they could proceed further into the Mediterranean. However, a meeting in Bali between Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu did not lead to any immediate developments. Lavrov denied the dispute was a central factor in the wider global grain shortage, saying the blocked grain accounted for 1% of global supply. Western diplomats say Russia sees the theft of Ukrainian grain and blocking its exports as measures designed to weaken Ukraine’s economy and raise the cost to the West of subsidizing the struggling country. In a plenary session, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Moscow to release Ukrainian grain to the world. One official said Blinken addressed Russia directly, saying: “To our Russian colleagues: Ukraine is not your country. His wheat is not your wheat. Why are you blocking the ports? You should let the wheat come out.’ Lavrov again said Russia could not export its own grain because of Western sanctions, for example because ships were not insured or could not reach foreign ports. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell hit back by saying there are no EU sanctions on food. Western leaders declined to take part in a group photo with Lavrov, but said their presence at the meeting, as opposed to a boycott, showed a greater willingness to make their case rather than rally other neutral states to their side. Baerbock, for example, said before the meeting: “I am here as Germany’s foreign minister with my European colleagues to show that we will not leave the international stage to Russia.” Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Lavrov will have noted with particular attention the attitude not of the West but of other major powers such as China, Saudi Arabia and India. Lavrov met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, telling him about the “implementation of the main missions of the special military operation” in Ukraine and repeating the Kremlin’s rhetoric that its goal was to “seek out” the country. Lavrov’s visit to Bali was also intended to prepare for a possible trip by Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in November. It is unclear whether Putin will attend in person or via video. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss left the meeting early to return to London to campaign for the Prime Ministership. He left a Foreign Office official, Sir Tim Barrow, to represent the UK.
