Uneasy Next to Russia... Unusual 'Lunchbox Meal' at G20 Foreign Ministers' Luncheon

Major Western Countries Completely Skip Welcome Reception Event
Lavrov: "The West Was Extremely Furious and Criticized Me When I Took the Podium"

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] At the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Bali, Indonesia, Western countries avoiding meetings with Russia were repeatedly observed.

At the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held on the 8th, an unusual "lunch box" even appeared.

Typically, the official G20 luncheon is conducted with designated seating where attendees can freely talk with the person next to them. However, this year, the format was changed to taking lunch boxes and dining with whoever they wished.

This has been interpreted as the host, Indonesia, considering Western countries that do not want to engage in dialogue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Lavrov's "ordeal" did not end there. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries, including the United States and Japan, did not attend the reception held on the evening of the 7th, the day before the meeting. Only ministers from countries relatively close to Russia, such as India and Saudi Arabia, welcomed Russia.

Foreign Minister Park Jin of South Korea attended the reception and, after a brief conversation with Minister Lavrov, reportedly mentioned the Ukraine situation, emphasizing that there should be no harm to Korean residents and businesses operating in Russia.

Minister Lavrov condemned the West and left the main meeting midway.

He told reporters, "Western countries attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting did not comply with G20 obligations and obstructed discussions on global economic issues."

He added, "As soon as I stood at the podium, the West furiously blamed the Russian Federation regarding the Ukraine situation," saying he was called an "attacker, aggressor, and occupier."

In fact, as soon as Minister Lavrov arrived at the venue for the meeting, some reporters loudly protested, asking, "When will you stop the war?"

Especially at the main meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's strong condemnation stood out.

He said right at the start of the meeting, "To my Russian colleagues, Ukraine is not your country, and Ukrainian grain is not your grain. You must allow grain to be exported without blocking the ports."

Earlier, at the G20 Finance Ministers' Meeting held in Washington, U.S., in April, when the Russian Finance Minister began speaking, ministers from major countries including the U.S. walked out in a boycott gesture.

Meanwhile, this is the first time Minister Lavrov has attended a multilateral diplomatic meeting since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.