Top EU diplomat says Lavrov presented ‘lies’ at G20 talks

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov presented “lies” in G20 talks on the Ukraine conflict, the EU’s foreign policy chief told AFP on Friday, accusing Moscow of not being ready for peace negotiations.

“We were talking about the big geopolitical crises, including Ukraine, and we were able to address Sergei Lavrov head-on with this,” Kaja Kallas said on the sidelines of a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Of course, he put forward a lot of lies, a lot of false narratives that we were also able to then rebuke,” she added.

Lavrov’s appearance at the two-day gathering of foreign ministers had fuelled tensions with European representatives, while highlighting warmer US-Russia ties.

It also comes ahead of fresh negotiations expected between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington in November.

But Russia does not appear ready to move ahead in peace talks, Kallas said.

“Even if they would have said this in words, their deeds tell something else,” she said. “July, August, and September have been the deadliest months for civilians in Ukraine.”

“They should show with their deeds that they are ready to negotiate, but they are clearly, clearly not,” she added.

She also called for continued pressure on Moscow, particularly to secure a ceasefire in the Black Sea.

Earlier Friday, a traditional family photo of G20 ministers was called off, with a diplomatic source telling AFP that some European officials declined to appear beside Lavrov.

Asked about the cancellation, Kallas said that when Russia started the war against Ukraine, European officials agreed not to normalise their presence around international platforms.

“We haven’t changed our policies,” she said.

A US official said the picture was cancelled to avoid allowing “a ceremonial photo opportunity to become a diplomatic distraction”.

Kallas expressed regret that “at the moment, we are not sending very clear messages”.

“For us, it is very clear that the pressure should be on the aggressor to stop this war,” she said of the Ukraine conflict.

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