Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited and later left a Bali hospital ahead of a Group of 20 summit on the island, Indonesian authorities said Monday. Russia denied that he had been treated. Russia’s top diplomat arrived on the resort island last night to take part in the meeting of the world’s top economies, which begins on Tuesday. Bali Governor I Wayan Koster said Lavrov, 72, was taken to Sanglah Hospital, the island’s largest hospital, “for a health check”. “He left the hospital after a brief check-up and his health is in good condition,” the governor said. The director of health services governance at the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Dr. Sunarto, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, also confirmed that Lavrov had visited the hospital to “check his health… and thank God he is healthy”. Four Indonesian government and medical officials earlier told The Associated Press that Lavrov was being treated at a hospital in the provincial capital, Denpasar. Two of the people said Lavrov had sought treatment for a heart condition, while one later said he had returned to his hotel. All of these officials declined to be named as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The hospital did not immediately comment. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied that Lavrov had been hospitalized, calling it “the highest level of fakery.” However, he did not report whether he had received medical treatment. He posted a video of Lavrov looking healthy in a T-shirt and shorts, in which he was asked to comment on the report. “They’ve been writing about our president for 10 years that he got sick. It’s a game that’s not new in politics,” Lavrov says in the video. Russia’s state-run Tass news agency separately quoted Lavrov as saying: “I am in the hotel reading material on tomorrow’s summit.” Asked about Lavrov’s condition, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he “didn’t know what happened to Minister Lavrov. I wish him the best possible recovery and hope that a meeting will be possible tomorrow.” Lavrov is the most senior Russian official at the G20 meeting, which is being attended by US President Joe Biden, China’s Xi Jinping and other leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attendance at the G-20 was uncertain until last week, when officials confirmed he would not be coming and that Russia would be represented by Lavrov. The fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is expected to be among the topics discussed at the two-day G-20 meeting, which brings together officials from countries that account for more than 80 percent of global economic output. Biden and Xi met separately ahead of the summit in their first one-on-one talks since the US president took office.
