![Official walk out as Russia’s Sergei Lavrov speaks at European security meeting](/i/c/b52ad81e-3481-547a-5ec8-2a49172b6b99.webp)
Official walk out as Russia’s Sergei Lavrov speaks at European security meeting
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov came face-to-face with Western critics while attending international security talks on Thursday, amid European protests that Vladimir Putin’s top diplomat was invited to the summit while he wages war against Ukraine. Some European officials present in North Macedonia walked out as the Russian minister addressed a session for foreign ministers of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation of Europe (OSCE), videos of the event showed. A number of foreign ministers refused to attend the event over Russia’s involvement, including those of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Some states, Ukraine among them, sent no representatives whatsoever. US secretary of state Antony Blinken made only a brief stop in North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, late on Wednesday, and did not attend Thursday’s talks. Mr Lavrov spoke for15 minutes, during which the walkout occurred. It was not immediately clear from videos which countries’ officials were involved. The Russian foreign minister’s comments followed the now-familiar narrative from the Kremlin that “Nato’s reckless expansion to the East” was to blame for war returning to Europe, rather than his own president’s decision to order the invasion of Ukraine. “Unfortunately, the Western political elites, which have arrogated to themselves the right to decide the fate of humanity, have made a short-sighted choice not in favour of the OSCE, but in favour of Nato. In favour of the philosophy of containment, zero-sum geopolitical games and the ‘master-slave’ logic,” Mr Lavrov told the session. He also attacked the platform of the summit itself, saying that “the OSCE and its relevant institutions are silent” over what he described as the denial of “the very existence of Russians and their decisive contribution to the histroy of Ukraine”. And he blamed the start of the Ukraine war on Western tolerance for the “ruling neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv”. Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly alleged that Ukraine’s government is made up of “neo-Nazis,” even though the country has a democratically elected Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust. Western ministers attending the OSCE meeting were sharply critical of Mr Lavrov after he spoke. “Russia’s attempts to blame others for its own choices are transparent,” said Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who was speaking when Mr Lavrov himself walked out of the summit. “We will not compromise on the core principles of the European security order or allow Russia to deny Ukraine the right to make its own independent foreign and security policy choices – principles that Russia itself has agreed to,” he continued. Based in Vienna, Austria, the OSCE is an intergovernmental organisation focused on promoting security, stability, and cooperation among its participating states. Nato member North Macedonia lifted a ban on Russian flights to enable Lavrov to attend the meeting. Russian state news agency Tass reported that the minister flew a longer route over Turkey and Greece to reach the summit after Bulgaria blocked his plane from using its airspace. Greek officials did not immediately return a request for comment. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Takeaways from AP's Interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy The AP Interview: Ukraine's Zelenskyy says the war with Russia is in a new phase as winter looms Ukraine war live: Russia sees record losses as baby amongst injured in missile strike Russia’s Supreme Court effectively outlaws LGBTQ+ activism in a landmark ruling UN atomic chief backs nuclear power at COP28 as world reckons with proliferation Russia’s top court bans LGBT+ activism as ‘extremist’ in new crackdown
2023-12-01 14:52
![Barclays, Citi Raise India Growth Closer to 7% After GDP Beat](/i/c/bd545c00-beeb-c4b0-c07c-815d85fa18fc.webp)
Barclays, Citi Raise India Growth Closer to 7% After GDP Beat
Economists raised their full-year projections for India’s economy sharply after data on Thursday showed growth outperformed last quarter,
2023-12-01 14:21
![Sunak Spends £1.6 Billion to Try to Show COP He’s On Message](/i/c/0dc84253-ab96-b11f-f062-dd231c4559fe.webp)
Sunak Spends £1.6 Billion to Try to Show COP He’s On Message
Rishi Sunak pledged to spend £1.6 billion ($2 billion) on climate projects, as the British premier arrives at
2023-12-01 14:19
![Europe’s Winter Freeze Set to Give Way to Milder December](/i/c/4e962ff7-7fd9-f288-347c-b3769e7fe8ff.webp)
Europe’s Winter Freeze Set to Give Way to Milder December
Europe’s icy start to December is forecast to give way to milder conditions as the month progresses, providing
2023-12-01 14:18
![Oil Holds Drop After ‘Voluntary’ OPEC+ Cuts Lead to Confusion](/i/c/52df95f3-ea10-eeb6-9196-0bbcf153b29c.webp)
Oil Holds Drop After ‘Voluntary’ OPEC+ Cuts Lead to Confusion
Oil steadied after tumbling on Thursday following an OPEC+ meeting that promised further output cuts but was hazy
2023-12-01 13:47
![Xi Takes Flurry of Small Steps to Open China After US Trip](/i/c/390be0d5-2db5-4c21-12d0-6a6321cb0226.webp)
Xi Takes Flurry of Small Steps to Open China After US Trip
President Xi Jinping’s government has vowed all year to restore foreign investors’ shattered confidence in China. Since a
2023-12-01 13:24
![Is It Time to Change How We Talk About 1.5C?](/i/c/6e3d011a-cca4-185e-bddc-555eafb1e901.webp)
Is It Time to Change How We Talk About 1.5C?
COP28 Daily Reports: Sign up for the Green Daily newsletter for comprehensive coverage of the climate summit right
2023-12-01 13:17
![Meta Says There’s Been No Downside to Sharing AI Technology](/i/c/d8be5936-0324-96ec-7fa6-e562ee14b68b.webp)
Meta Says There’s Been No Downside to Sharing AI Technology
Meta Platforms Inc. executives, speaking at an event Thursday, said there’s been no major drawbacks to openly sharing
2023-12-01 12:55
![DeSantis, Newsom Face Off to Rally Base With Eyes on the White House](/i/c/08b42d98-8077-ebaf-06dd-91204a74dd4e.webp)
DeSantis, Newsom Face Off to Rally Base With Eyes on the White House
Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gavin Newsom of California sparred over taxes, border security and energy, in
2023-12-01 12:51
![RBNZ Can’t Afford to Ignore Immigration Surge, Hawkesby Says](/i/c/ca2e4340-c5cb-3988-d2ac-b56eb4c5fe90.webp)
RBNZ Can’t Afford to Ignore Immigration Surge, Hawkesby Says
New Zealand’s central bank can’t afford to ignore a surge in immigration, even though it’s expected to subside
2023-12-01 11:53
![Asian Factories Still Under Pressure on Mixed Demand Rebound](/i/c/93322c05-0871-ef86-9677-de304e621463.webp)
Asian Factories Still Under Pressure on Mixed Demand Rebound
Key gauges of activity at Asia’s factories failed to turn around the bearish sentiment in November, as global
2023-12-01 10:55
![Japan Capex Spending Rise May Help Temper Economy’s Contraction](/i/c/54dd768b-beae-8f1a-a2fc-12c1cf5e9bce.webp)
Japan Capex Spending Rise May Help Temper Economy’s Contraction
Japan’s businesses increased investment modestly over the summer as profits continued to grow in a sign of resilience
2023-12-01 10:22