Putin's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov ridiculed by crowd after telling event 'Ukraine launched war against Russia'
4 March 2023, 10:51 | Updated: 4 March 2023, 10:56
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov provoked scores of laughter after claiming his country is the victim in the war with Ukraine.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2023 series in New Dehli, India, Lavrov falsely claimed the war in Ukraine was "launched against us".
It is a claim that has been repeated by a series of Russian officials, but Lavrov seemed stunned when his propaganda claims were met with laughter.
"The war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us using Ukrainian people, of course, influenced the policy of Russia, including energy policy," he said.
"And the blunt way to describe what changed: we would not anymore rely on any partners in the West. We would not allow them to blow the pipelines again," Lavrov added.
One person at the conference shouted: "Come on!" - as several more laughed at his claims.
Though he was met with a score of laughter over his claims on the Ukraine war, the audience in India did appear to support Lavrov's stance on American interventionism.
When asked about the West's "double standard" on intervening in sovereign countries, Lavrov said: "Have you been interested in these years [in] what is going on in Iraq, what is going on in Afghanistan?"
"[You] believe that the United States has the right to declare a threat to its national interest, any place on earth, like they did in Yugoslavia, in Iraq, in Libya, in Syria... and you don't ask them any questions?"
India has so far insisted it is remaining neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, though the Indian government under Narendra Modi has said it does not support sanctions against Putin's country.
