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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday said the West was “militarizing” southeast Asia in a bid to contain Russian and Chinese interests, setting the stage for a confrontation between Russia and Western leaders at the G20 summit in Bali.
Lavrov will head Russia’s delegation to the summit – the first such meeting since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February – after the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin was too busy to attend.
Ukraine is set to dominate the agenda with Western leaders likely to publicly confront Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and push the likes of China and India – which have both previously expressed concerns over the war – to criticize Moscow’s actions.
Speaking during a press conference at the conclusion of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Phnom Penh, Lavrov scolded the United States over its actions in the region, which both Russia and the West see as a potential strategic geopolitical battleground in the coming decades.
