India didn't let G20 agenda be 'Ukrainised': Russian Foreign Minister

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday lauded India for not allowing the Russia-Ukraine war to dominate the G20 Summit. Addressing a press conference, Lavrov said, "India did not allow to Ukrainise the G20 agenda."

The Russian Foreign Minister also expressed his gratitude to India for preventing attempts to politicise the G20 and termed the Summit a "success".

"The summit has definitely been a success," he said.

On the consensus over the G20 Leaders' Summit Declaration, Lavrov said, "When they agreed to that, perhaps it was the voice of their conscience. Speaking frankly, we didn't expect that."

"Let me underline that we cannot isolate the statements mentioning Ukraine and Russia from the rest of the work on the declaration. The main content of the declaration this year is all about the awakening of the Global South and the consolidation of the Global South that is truly willing for the G20 to work for its main goals," the Russian Foreign Minister said.

Speaking on the declaration, Lavrov said, "I think that a healthy solution has been found in the declaration regarding the need to strive for a clear and equitable balance of interest."

"It is one of the decent purposes and we are already on track. In our turn, we will continue strengthening these positive trends, including during Brazil's presidency next year and in 2025 during South Africa's presidency."

"While closing today's session, PM Modi said that he would convene another G20 Summit via video conferencing in late November. It will be another opportunity for us to review the implementation of the agreements that we have reached today," he said.

Slamming the West, the Russian Foreign Minister said, "The West will not be able to remain a hegemony as we see new centres of power in the world."

"The West has done nothing on its promise of providing USD 100 billion annually to developing nations to deal with climate change," he added.

Upon being asked if he thinks there can be a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Ukrainian officials, as of now, are threatening to physically destroy Russians.

"Everyone wants peace. About 18 months ago, we agreed to sign a treaty about settling this conflict. After that, the Anglo-Saxons ordered Zelenskyy not to sign it because they thought they would be able to reap some confessions from us."

"Russian President Putin recently said that we do not mind negotiations. However, any such negotiations need to consider the realities on the ground and take into account the reasons that have been accumulating for decades due to NATO's aggressive policy."

"Right now, the Ukrainian officials are threatening to physically destroy Russians," Lavrov said.