Lavrov says Poland's invitation to G20 breaches diplomatic norms

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta that inviting Poland to attend the summit was counter-productive and violated the diplomatic practice of seeking consensus among members. He argued that Poland "adds nothing" to the gathering, noting that its economy is not large enough to merit participation and that the country is already represented through NATO and the European Union.

"Of course, this violates the principles of diplomacy, and especially multilateral diplomacy, when members of associations such as the G20 work on the basis of consensus," Lavrov said.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the United States had proposed making Poland a permanent G20 member and that Warsaw was lobbying for that status. Sikorski also called for a rapid ceasefire in the Black Sea to enable safe grain shipments from both Ukraine and Russia.

Lavrov added that Russia had faced no pressure over Poland's presence, stating that the American hosts simply provided a chair for the Polish minister.