U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he saw no indications that Russia was seeking to engage with diplomats at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia over its invasion of Ukraine.
"We saw no signs whatsoever that Russia is prepared to engage in meaningful diplomacy," Blinken said on July 9 following the G20 gathering on the resort island of Bali. "If there is an opportunity for diplomacy, we will seize it."
Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov stormed out of a closed-door G20 session on July 8 after the United States and its allies condemned Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Lavrov left both a morning session and an afternoon meeting before Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed the ministers through a video link.
"There was a strong consensus and Russia was left isolated, as it has been many times since this war begin," Blinken said. "In fact, Foreign Minister Lavrov left the meeting early, maybe because this message had been so resoundingly clear."
