G20 Summit: Ukraine Destroyed Its Territory With Own Hands, Says Russia Foreign Minister Lavrov

G20 Summit Delhi: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday hit out at Ukraine and accused it of destroying its territorial integrity with own hands.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday said that Ukraine destroyed its territorial integrity with its own hand. "...The Kyiv regime destroyed the territorial integrity of its country with its own hand...I believe that some of our Western colleagues understand it too but you know very well that they are placing their bets on Russia's strategic defeat..." Lavrov said during a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi. 

"As soon as we start talking about Ukraine, the West is unable to maintain an intelligent discussion, all it can do is demand that Russia stop its aggression and restore Ukraine's territorial integrity, but the UN charter also mentioned the principle of equality," he added. 

Terming the G20 Summit in Delhi a "milestone", Lavrov said the active role of the Indian presidency "has genuinely consolidated" the G20 countries from the Global South for the first time in history. He made the remarks during a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Summit and said a healthy solution has been found in the declaration regarding the need to strive for a clear and equitable balance of interest, as quoted by ANI.

"It is a long way to go but this Summit has been a milestone... I would also like to mention the active role of the Indian presidency that has genuinely consolidated the G20 countries from the Global South for the first time in history. Our BRICS partners - Brazil, India, China, South Africa have been particularly active and thanks to these consolidated positions taken by the Global South countries to uphold and protect their legitimate interests," he said.

"I think that a healthy solution has been found in the declaration regarding the need to strive for a clear and equitable balance of interest. It is one of the decent purposes and we are already on track. In our turn, we will continue strengthening these positive trends including during Brazil's presidency next year and in 2025 during South Africa's presidency," the PM added.

The Russian leader accused the Western nations of not fulfilling their promise about funds to deal with climate change.

"The West also had long ago promised even 100 billion US dollars per year to counter the negative consequences of climate change, but nothing on that has been done. The declaration also mentions the tasks that need to be done in accordance with the long-standing promises in order to ensure a balance of interest in the global economy," he said.