Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I’ll condemn Putin deputy over Ukraine
PM: Russia is a ‘pariah state’
RISHI Sunak dubbed Russia a “pariah” as he prepared to condemn its invasion of Ukraine at the world leaders’ gathering.
The Prime Minister pledged to confront Moscow’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov at the G20 summit.
President Vladimir Putin is not attending the event on the Indonesian island of Bali.
It will be the first time a
British PM has met a Russian government representative since the invasion but there has been confusion about Mr Lavrov’s health.
The 72-year-old was reportedly hospitalised in Bali with heart problems but has dismissed the claim as a “political game”. Mr Sunak said yesterday: “It’s telling that Putin is not there. Russia is becoming a pariah state and he’s not there to take responsibility. I’m going to put on record my condemnation of what they’re doing.”
The PM will urge fellow leaders to maintain support for Ukraine. He played down hopes of a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv any time soon. He said: “Our job is to continue to help the Ukrainians defend themselves.”