Sergei Lavrov snaps 'I know the way, don't show me!' at G20 official

Rude Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov snaps ‘I know the way, don’t show me!’ at apologetic official leading him to G20 photocall

• Lavrov took out his frustrations on unsuspecting G20 official in New Delhi, India
• He dismissed help of official and snapped at him saying ‘I know the way’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today snapped ‘I know the way, don’t show me’ to an official at the G20 Summit after he tried to lead him to a photocall.

The bad-tempered Russian minister took out his frustrations on the unsuspecting official, whose job was to lead Lavrov to have a photograph with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

As the official approached Lavrov, the rude Russian official dismissed his help and snapped: ‘I know the way, don’t show me’.

The official instantly apologised to Lavrov and quickly moved away from the Foreign Minister as he walked up the steps towards Jaishankar with a scowl on his face.

Lavrov later met Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi and spoke of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including Beijing’s proposal for ending the conflict.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today snapped ‘I know the way, don’t show me’ to an official at the G20 Summit after he tried to lead him to a photocall

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, India, on Thursday

Afterwards, the Russian foreign minister said that the G20 talks would not result in a joint declaration on the war in Ukraine – and instead host country India would release a summary.

‘The declaration was blocked and the outcome of the discussion will be described in the summary that the Indian presidency would speak about,’ Lavrov told reporters through an interpreter after the talks in New Delhi.

Discussions over the joint statement faltered on several issues including Russia’s insistence on an investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline last year, Lavrov said.

Russia and Western countries have traded accusations of responsibility for the September explosions.

But so far investigations by Swedish, Danish and German authorities have not pinned the blame on any one country or actor.

‘We speak about manners. Well, our Western counterparts have gotten really bad with these,’ Lavrov said after Thursday’s talks.

‘They are not thinking of diplomacy anymore; they now only deal in blackmail and threatening everyone else.’

India’s foreign minister admitted there was no consensus on the Ukraine war because there were ‘divergences which we could not reconcile as various parties held differing views.’ 

Ukrainian servicemen of the 80th Brigade fire targets from a mobile howitzer outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Tuesday

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, top center, walks past Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, bottom right blurred, during the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi Thursday, March 2, 2023

India, which has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion, had wanted its G20 presidency this year to focus on issues such as alleviating poverty and climate finance, but Russia’s war with Ukraine has so far crowded out other agenda items.

The meeting in New Delhi saw US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Lavrov in the same room for the first time since July.

The United States has accused China of considering supplying arms to its Russian ally, and Western delegates will use the foreign ministers’ summit to discourage Beijing from intervening in the conflict.

But Russia issued a strongly worded statement following a meeting between Lavrov and Gang.

‘A unanimous rejection was expressed of attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, to impose unilateral approaches through blackmail and threats, and to oppose the democratisation of international relations,’ the Russian foreign ministry said.

Last week, India was forced to issue a compromised chair’s summary at the conclusion of the G-20 finance ministers meeting after Russia and China objected to a joint communique that retained language on the war in Ukraine drawn directly from last year’s G-20 leaders summit declaration in Indonesia.

Host India had appealed for all members of the fractured Group of 20 to reach consensus on issues of deep concern to poorer countries even if the broader East-West split over Ukraine cannot be resolved.

Source: Read Full Article