Russia’s Lavrov faces Western critics at security meeting, walks out after speech

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES and DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has faced Western critics while attending international security talks in Northern Macedonia. Lavrov arrived in Skopje to attend meetings hosted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The diplomats of several OSCE member nations, including Ukraine, boycotted the event due to Lavrov’s planned attendance amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Russian foreign minister spoke for 15 minutes on Thursday before walking out of the meetings. He blamed “NATO’s reckless expansion to the East” and Western tolerance for what he described as the “ruling neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv” for Russia’s war in Ukraine.