Russia’s Lavrov meets UN Secretary General at G20 summit in Bali

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends the G20 leaders’ summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, November 15, 2022. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted a photo of the pair seated at a table in Bali with Russian and UN flags, but the ministry provided no details of what the pair discussed.

It comes just days before the landmark Black Sea grain deal is set to expire. The initiative, struck in July, unlocked agricultural exports from Ukraine’s southern ports and helped push down global food prices. But Moscow has not yet said whether it will extend its participation in the UN-backed deal, which is due to expire on Nov. 19.

Moscow is pushing for sanctions on a state-run agricultural bank to be lifted – a move it says would help Russia export its own agricultural products and fertilizers.

Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have criticized the deal in recent months as unfair, and said the West has not upheld commitments to ease sanctions on Russia. Moscow temporarily suspended its participation in the agreement following an attack on Russian vessels in Crimea.

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