G20 summit: Lavrov's walkout during the German Foreign Minister's speech

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of the meeting room during Germany's speech at the G20 summit. Russia's top diplomat left the conference on Friday (July 8th) in response to sharp criticism from Western leaders over the military operation in Ukraine. Khabar Al Jazeera.

International Desk

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A two-day G20 ministerial conference kicked off in Bali, Indonesia on Thursday (July 7th) in the wake of the Ukraine conflict. In a closed-door meeting on the second day of the conference, the foreign ministers of Washington and allied countries strongly condemned Moscow's attack on Ukraine. United Stated Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was also present.

However, German Foreign Minister Analena Bayerbock walked out of the meeting. "Probably, there is nothing to discuss with the West," Lavrov said at the meeting, calling on Indonesia to find a way to end the war.

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"Our responsibility is to end this war as soon as possible," said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi at the opening ceremony of the conference in Bali. In this case, it is our responsibility to resolve differences through dialogue, not war. He said the world has just begun to recover from the Covid-19 epidemic. And this time they are facing another crisis, the Ukraine war.

Marsudi added that the effects of the war are being felt worldwide. The war has led to food and energy crises. As a result, the prices of daily necessities have already gone up. Developing and low-income countries have always been the worst hit by such situations.

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Indonesia has friendly relations with the United States. The country has previously called for an end to the war without pressuring the West to isolate Moscow politically and economically from the international arena.

Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to advance in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. On Friday (July 6), Putin's forces fired multiple missiles at the northern cities of Kharkiv and the eastern city of Kramatorsk. At least four civilians were killed, local officials said.