Blinken and Lavrov avoid each other at G20, while US promises new sanctions against Russia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed this Thursday that he did not speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the G20 meeting and promised that new sanctions against Russia are “on the way.”

“I did not have any direct conversation with the foreign minister,” the head of North American diplomacy explained during a press conference following the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro, intended for a small group of journalists. .

“I heard him speak during the meeting, and I think he heard me when I spoke, as did many others,” he added.

The meeting in Rio de Janeiro was the first meeting between the foreign ministers of the United States and Russia since the death in prison last week of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, an event that worsened already deteriorating relations between the two countries.

Present at the meetings in Rio de Janeiro and echoing the tone of the previous day, Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho said that “there were many references to the death of Alexei Navalny” and that “the Russian minister decided not to comment.”

European Union diplomacy chief Josep Borrell also said that several G20 members questioned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the death of Alexei Navalny this Thursday, but he chose to remain silent.

“It was discussed at the table, some asked about this case,” said Josep Borrell.

Alexei Navalny, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s main opponents, died on February 16 at the age of 47 in an Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year sentence.

Russian prison services reported that Navalny felt unwell after the walk and lost consciousness.

Blinken said most countries criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during the meeting, so he thought it was a good opportunity for Lavrov and Russia to hear “what the world thinks about their aggression.”

The head of North American diplomacy also confirmed that his country was preparing a new round of sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s death, due to be announced on Friday.

“Stay with us. They are on their way,” he said.

Lavrov was one of the first leaders to leave the meeting, speaking only to the Russian press, and headed to Brasilia, where he is scheduled to meet with Brazilian President Lula da Silva at the Palácio do Planalto, the same place where he received the US Secretary of State on Wednesday Anthony Blinken.

In statements to the Russian press quoted by the Russian TASS news agency, Lavrov said the country would “respond with action” to the inevitable new US sanctions.

“We will respond with actions related to the development of our own economy, the evolution and strengthening of ties with partners who – unlike the Western minority, which continues to think in colonial and neo-colonial terms – have the ability to negotiate and build their economic ties in the interests of their people, improving the standard of living of citizens and ensuring well-being,” he said.