The key facts

  • Kallas accused Lavrov of lying at the G20 meeting in Atlanta on October 30
  • The European participants rejected the data presented by Lavrov
  • Wadephul reported that the Europeans refused a group photo with Lavrov

Accusations on the sidelines of the G20 meeting

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at the meeting of G20 foreign ministers, presented 'a lot of lies and distortedly interpreted data,' which the European participants were able to reject. She made the statement on October 30 in Atlanta, where the G20 foreign ministers' meeting was taking place, in a comment to the AFP agency, as reported by Kun.uz.

Doubts about Moscow's readiness for talks

When an AFP journalist asked whether Lavrov had expressed readiness to make concessions to end the war, Kallas said no and stressed that Russia's practical actions do not match its statements about readiness for talks. She called on Moscow to prove its readiness for peace talks through deeds, and also named July, August and September as the deadliest months for Ukraine's civilian population.

A demonstrative refusal by the Europeans

According to DW, earlier German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that the European participants refused to take the traditional group photo with Lavrov because of the war in Ukraine. At the same time, he acknowledged the need for contacts to discuss agreements, but, in his words, such contacts should not create the impression that relations have returned to normal.