Russia’s Lavrov denied the news of his transfer to a hospital in the Group of Twenty

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday denied a news agency report that he had been hospitalized with a heart condition, scolding Western journalists for what he called false reports.

The Associated Press quoted Indonesian officials as saying that Lavrov was taken to hospital after arriving on the island of Bali to attend the G20 summit. The Associated Press reported that Lavrov, 72, had been treated for a heart condition.

“This, of course, is the height of fraud,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Zakharova posted a video of Lavrov, President Vladimir Putin’s foreign minister since 2004, sitting outdoors in a courtyard, in shorts, a T-shirt and T-shirt, and reading documents.

Asked about the report, Lavrov said Western journalists had been falsely writing for a decade that Putin, 70, was ill.

“This is a kind of game that is not new in politics,” Lavrov said with a wry smile. “Western journalists need to be more honest – they have to write the truth.”

Lavrov, who arrived in Bali on Sunday evening, said the Western media routinely took a partial view of events and ignored Russia’s point of view.

Bali Governor Wayan Koster told Reuters that Lavrov briefly visited Bali’s Sanglah Hospital for a “medical examination” but that the minister was in good health.

“He was in good health and after the examination he left immediately,” the governor said.

The Associated Press said it stood by its story.

“To be clear, the Associated Press never reported Lavrov’s hospitalization,” said Lauren Easton, vice president of corporate communications for the Associated Press.

“We were informed that he had been taken to the hospital, and we counted the number of sources who provided that information.”

Seasonal Diploma

Lavrov is Russia’s longest-serving foreign minister since Soviet times, when Andrei Gromyko, nicknamed “Mr. Nate” in the West for his hard-line approach, held the position for 28 years.

Lavrov graduated from the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and speaks fluent English, French as well as Sinhala, having worked as a Soviet diplomat in Sri Lanka.

Before becoming foreign minister, Lavrov served as Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations.

Sometimes known as “Doctor No” in the West, he is known for his scathing remarks, particularly about interlocutors he deems poorly prepared.

Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lavrov repeatedly rejected American and British assurances that Putin was preparing to order an invasion.

After the West imposed the toughest sanctions in modern history on Russia, Lavrov said Moscow would move away from the United States and its allies and instead expand its relations with countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Reporting by Reuters. Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Levy and Gareth Jones

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