A Russian foreign minister was laughed at by an audience at an international conference on Friday after he said the Ukraine war was "launched against us".
Laughter and groans erupted from the crowd at the G20 Summit in New Delhi when Sergei Lavrov claimed Russia was the victim of the war in Ukraine.
The elderly Russian minister was given pause after members of the incredulous crowd interrupted his talk as he addressed an audience following a G20 foreign ministers' meeting.
One voice at the conference shouted: "Come on!"
But he blustered on, claiming that Russia was “trying to stop” the war which was "launched against us [Russia]”.
Lavrov’s comments came as Russian troops announce they are about to seize the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after weeks of vicious fighting.
The city, which has been reduced to rubble after months of Russian shelling was almost completely surrounded, with only one route left open to Ukrainian forces, the head of Russia's Wagner private army said.
The veteran foreign minister may have been expecting a warmer reception to his claims in Delhi, where Narendra Modi's government has appeared as an ally of Putin and his regime.
However, India has insisted it is neutral in the war, abstaining on United Nations votes on the conflict.
Mr Lavrov was responding to an audience member who asked the question: “How has the war affected Russia's strategy on energy, and will it mark a privilege toward Asia? And if it does, how is India going to feature in it?”
Lavrov responded: “The war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us using the…”
But before he could continue the conference hall erupted in groans and laughter.
Lavrov eventually continued: “The Ukrainian people, of course, influenced the policy of Russia, including energy policy.
“And the blunt way to describe what changed: we would not anymore rely on any partners in the West.”
"We would not allow them to blow the pipelines again", he said, referring to two explosions in the Baltic Sea in September last year that destroyed the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
