The audience at India’s G20 summit was taken aback Thursday when Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov declared that the war in Ukraine “was launched against us.” He was immediately met with laughter and shouts of “Come on!” from the crowd.
Lavrov had been answering a question about Russia’s energy strategy moving forward when he made the remark. But experts widely agree that the war in Ukraine was unprovoked and was part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to restore Russia as an imperial power.
The Kremlin has attempted to justify the invasion by pointing to NATO’s expansion and blaming Ukraine for being led by neo-Nazis. However, Ukraine is not a NATO member and the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish and lost family during the Holocaust.
The Russian Empire controlled much of Ukraine before later making it part of the Soviet Union. But Ukrainians in 1991 overwhelmingly voted for independence from the USSR, making it clear that they did not want to be subservient to Moscow.
Since then, the conflict has been condemned around the world, with Russia facing widespread allegations of war crimes. The war has also had serious repercussions on Russia’s energy policy, leading to the country refusing to rely on any partners going forward.
Lavrov’s comments at the G20 summit demonstrate the Kremlin’s brazen disregard for the truth about the war in Ukraine and the suffering it has caused. It is a reminder of the importance of holding Russia to account for its actions and of respecting the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination.
