A reaction from the Russian Foreign Ministry was that FM Sergey Lavrov, according to false reports, was hospitalized during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. This alleged fake report came about despite pleas from the Indonesian leader not to allow incidents during the summit.
Russian Foreign Ministry Denies Reports by Western Media
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the G20 instead of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Republic World reported.
After the Russian official reached the destination, AP News claimed in an article that he was hospitalized. Immediately, Moscow issued a statement saying it was accurate but unverified.
While Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharov posted a video on Telegram, she spoke with Lavrov about western reports that he became ill and required medical attention.
He answered that foreign media has insisted that Putin has been very sick for the last ten years. Simply put, it is a game and a part of politics. Western journalists were also asked to be more straightforward in their reporting.
In a CNBC report, I Wayan Koster, Governor of Bali, stated that the Russian official was in the hospital for a routine check-up and was healthy, not as implied by other false reports.
FM Lavrov Attends G20 Summit
Despite the clarification from the foreign ministry that the Russian diplomat was not hospitalized, the media is not convinced.
It is claimed that he left during the G20 Summit talk when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy started a virtual address.
The meeting was used by the US and allies as a venue for pushing the Ukrainian conflict. After the address was done, Zelensky posted Ukraine's supposed formula for peace.
He stated that Kyiv is peaceful and claims its actions are not hostile. He even claimed the world should see what it has done to foster an objective peace according to its agenda. Daring Russia to end the war, which the Kremlin claims started with a planned assault on the Donbas.
The Russian foreign minister ignored the Kyiv leader's rants and called anything coming from him "not conducive to peace." Despite support for his claims from western backers, explaining the presence of the Russian foreign minister at the Bali Summit, per Sky News.
TASS news agency had shared an image of the minister smiling at a pool in Bali. He is the top Russian official participating in the G20 that started on Tuesday. Standing in place of Vladimir Putin in the meeting because it was presumed that attempts by world leaders to undermine him, said Sky News Moscow correspondent Diana Magnay.
She added that watching who talks to Lavrov and how others react would be amusing. Pointing out the family photo will show who stays close to the Russian official. The Russian foreign ministry said Sergey Lavrov's hospitalization and false reports about it during the G20 Summit are not a surprise.
Related Article: China, Australian Bilateral Relations Improve as Canberra Leaves Morrison Era Behind
