Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denies claims of G20 hospitalization

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was hospitalized in Bali ahead of the G20 summit with a heart condition – a claim the powerful Kremlin official dismissed as Western journalists making up the news.

The 72-year-old Russian diplomat was visiting Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar after arriving on the Indonesian island on Sunday, several Indonesian officials told the Associated Press.

“Of course, this is the highest level of forgery,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said of the Associated Press report.

Zakharova posted a video on her Telegram channel of an apparently healthy Lavrov sitting outdoors on a terrace, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, reading documents.

Asked about the report, Lavrov claimed that Western journalists had been spreading false rumors about President Vladimir Putin’s health for a decade.

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

Lavrov said Western media routinely cover events only partially and ignore Russia’s point of view.

Russia’s state news agency Tass separately quoted Lavrov as saying, “I’m at the hotel reading materials for the summit tomorrow.” The outlet also released a photo that appeared to show the minister smiling in front of a pool in Bali.

Bali Governor Wayan Koster told Reuters Lavrov visited the hospital briefly for an “examination” but the minister was in good health.

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

Four Indonesian government and medical officials told the Associated Press Lavrov was treated at Sanglah Hospital.

All officers declined to be identified as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Two of the people said Lavrov was being treated for a heart condition.

Lavrov is the senior Russian official at the G20 meeting attended by President Biden, China’s Xi Jinping and other leaders.

Putin’s attendance at the G20, which begins Tuesday, was uncertain until last week, when the Kremlin confirmed he would not attend and that Russia would be represented by Lavrov instead.

Lavrov has been Putin’s foreign minister since 2004, making him Russia’s longest-serving top diplomat since the Soviet Union.

Before Lavrov became foreign minister and was nicknamed “Dr. No” in the West, served as Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations.

With postal wires