The Russian FM claimed diplomats flocked to take pictures with him against US wishes Credit: The Russian Foreign Ministry
The US government pressured other nations to diplomatically isolate Russia, but many pushed back, sometimes directly defying instructions from Washington, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
The top diplomat shared a story from his visit to Egypt last July to speak before the Arab League. The US and its allies unsuccessfully attempted to prevent his appearance, or stage a concerted condemnation of Russia by member states over the conflict in Ukraine, Lavrov claimed, citing Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary general of the organization.
When the lobbying effort failed, Western nations asked Arab delegates “to at least not to take pictures with Lavrov – and I am not joking,” he said.
“For the record, after my speech, which took over an hour, each of the envoys asked me to pose for a picture,” Lavrov concluded.