Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said she would not allow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to attend any international conference organized or hosted by Canada.
Speaking in Ottawa, Anand commented on her recent encounter with the Russian diplomat during a G20 meeting in Atlanta, according to Ukrinform.
Anand recalled sitting across from Lavrov at the gathering of G20 representatives last week. She said his presence gave her an opportunity to openly condemn Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine.
“I would not invite Sergei Lavrov to any Canadian conference or any conference hosted by Canada, but given that he was invited to the G20, I took the opportunity to openly condemn Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine,” the minister said.
She also criticized Russia over the abduction of Ukrainian children, large-scale attacks on civilians, and systematic strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Separately, Anand said she had discussed a possible ceasefire in the Black Sea with India’s foreign minister. The talks focused on the possibility of combining such an agreement with a halt to attacks on energy facilities, including nuclear infrastructure.
The G20 meeting in Atlanta was also marked by a diplomatic controversy. Organizers canceled the traditional group photograph after several officials reportedly refused to pose alongside Lavrov.
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Meanwhile, the United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit scheduled for December 14–15 in Miami, Florida.
The Kremlin has said Putin has not yet made a final decision on whether to attend.
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