Russia’s Lavrov clashes with Blinken at OSCE meeting
Al Jazeera
Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserts Ukraine’s sovereign right to make choices about its future without interference from Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has clashed indirectly with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at an annual security meeting in Malta, accusing the West of risking escalation in the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ministerial meeting in Ta’Qali on Thursday, Lavrov accused the West of reviving the Cold War and provoking a direct conflict with Russia.
He said the US actions were driven by a desire to “return NATO to the political spotlight”. “After the Afghan disgrace, there was a need for a new common enemy,” Lavrov said during his first stop in an EU nation since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“The result is the reincarnation of the Cold War, but now with the far greater risk of its escalation into the hot phase.”
Lavrov walked out before US Secretary of State Blinken and other speakers could respond.
