Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken clashed indirectly at an annual security meeting in Malta. Lavrov accused the West of risking escalation over Ukraine and walked out before Blinken and other speakers could respond. He criticized the West for reviving the Cold War and provoking a direct conflict with Russia, attributing these actions to a desire to bring NATO back into the political spotlight.
Blinken, who spoke after Lavrov left, shifted the blame for escalation back to Russia, highlighting various concerning actions by Russia in the region. He emphasized Ukraine's sovereign right to make its own choices about the future without interference from Moscow.
During the meeting, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, along with the foreign ministers of Poland and Estonia, walked out as Lavrov took the podium. Sybiha referred to Lavrov as a 'war criminal' and expressed Ukraine's determination to succeed and uphold justice.
Lavrov's visit to an EU member nation since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine marked a rare occasion of engagement with senior Western officials. The Maltese foreign affairs office revealed that Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova had her visa annulled to accompany Lavrov due to objections from three OSCE member countries.
Reporters Without Borders urged the OSCE to release 38 journalists detained by Russia, including 19 Ukrainians held in illegally occupied territories. The organization highlighted Russia as the world's fifth-largest jailer of journalists.
