Russian Foreign Minister Makes First EU Visit Since Ukraine Invasion

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has made his initial trip to a European Union member country since the comprehensive invasion of Ukraine, attending a European security summit in Malta. Ukraine’s foreign ministry reported that Andriy Sybiga, the Ukrainian counterpart, who is also present at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) gathering, exited the venue before Lavrov was scheduled to speak. The presence of Mr. Lavrov has generated controversy; Poland’s foreign minister declined a meeting, and Sybiga labeled the diplomat a “war criminal.” The Russian foreign minister alleged that Western nations were instigating a new Cold War, stating it carried “with a much greater risk of a transition to a hot one.” Sybiga asserted that Russia’s participation in the OSCE contradicted the organization’s objectives, characterizing it as the “biggest threat to our common security.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was also in attendance. He charged Russia with intensifying the conflict in Ukraine and disseminating a “tsunami of misinformation.” “Let’s not fool ourselves and let’s not allow [Lavrov] or anyone else to fool us,” he stated. “This is not about and has never been about Russia’s security. This is about Mr Putin’s imperial project to erase Ukraine from the map.” Blinken and Lavrov, whose interactions have been minimal since the commencement of the war in Ukraine, are not slated for a meeting during the summit. Kyiv opted to boycott the previous year’s OSCE meeting held in North Macedonia, a non-EU member state, because of Lavrov’s presence, and has previously advocated for Russia’s removal from the organization. A number of diplomats and officials were observed departing the hall prior to Lavrov’s address. Moscow has expressed escalating criticism of the OSCE, an organization established to alleviate East-West tensions during the Cold War with the goal of preventing conflict and managing crises across Europe. This forum, comprising 57 states, convenes to deliberate on security matters within the continent and undertakes practical security initiatives, such as deploying observers to conflicts and elections worldwide. In the preceding year, Lavrov asserted that the OSCE was “being turned into an appendage of Nato and the European Union,” concurrently, Russia has impeded the group’s operational capacity in recent years by exercising its veto on multiple significant decisions. Earlier this year, Moscow voted to suspend its participation in the parliamentary assembly, characterizing it as anti-Russian and discriminatory. Prior to this week’s summit, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, stated that Lavrov intended to leverage the event to critique the OSCE’s “institutional crisis.” She further claimed that the OSCE had been “Ukrainised” and accused Western states of “using this platform for their own interests.” Zakharova additionally posted on Telegram that Malta had revoked her visa, which was intended for her to accompany Lavrov to the gathering. The Maltese foreign affairs office indicated that three OSCE member nations had raised objections to granting a visa extension to Zakharova, who is currently subject to a travel ban. Although Lavrov is under EU sanctions, he is not subject to a travel prohibition. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.