Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was able to get into and out of Skopje, North Macedonia yesterday for a meeting of the foreign ministers of the 57 member countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The reception, as expected, was hostile. The foreign ministers of the three Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia announced on Nov. 28 that they would boycott the meeting due to Lavrov’s presence. “We deeply regret the decision enabling the personal participation of Russian Foreign Minister S. Lavrov at the 30th Session of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Skopje,” they said in a joint statement posted in English. “It will only provide Russia with yet another propaganda opportunity.” The Ukrainian delegation also refused to attend.
Nonetheless, Lavrov was forthright. Kiev and its Western backers are not interested in a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine. “So far, we haven’t seen any sign from Kiev or its sponsors of their willingness to look for some kind of a political solution,” he said at a press conference following the meeting, reported TASS. “And if you listen to what NATO and EU officials say, it all boils down to one thing: ‘we must support Ukraine because if Ukraine suffers a defeat, it will mean a defeat for the entire West,’” Lavrov added. “Just like in the tango, it takes two to start the diplomatic process, but the guys on the other side aren’t doing the tango, they are break-dancing, and that’s a solo performance.”
