Miliband Tells Lavrov at G20 That Russia Is Not Winning the War

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband confronted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a gathering of G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta, telling him directly that Russia's campaign in Ukraine is failing. The exchange placed two senior diplomats in the same room at a moment when several European delegations have refused to appear in a joint photograph with Lavrov.

Miliband opened by naming Russia as the party responsible for the war and pointed to a specific attack. "Let me say this directly to the Russian foreign minister, we all know who the aggressor in this war is," he said. "Let's talk about what happened at Dnipro railway yesterday. Only yesterday your drones attacked and killed 15 people." He added that civilian deaths have recurred throughout the conflict.

He then addressed the military balance, crediting Ukrainian forces and allied governments for denying Moscow an easy outcome. "Putin thought then he would win this war easily. But you are not winning this war," Miliband said. He urged Lavrov to convey that assessment to the Kremlin: "If you had the courage to tell the truth and to do what is right you would tell Putin that he is not winning this war and will not win."

The meeting also exposed divisions over whether any diplomatic progress is possible. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Lavrov's positions at the gathering gave no indication Moscow is prepared to enter peace talks. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he intends to press Lavrov to end the war against Ukraine.

The gathering carried other signs of strain. Lavrov arrived in the United States on 30 October for the ministerial. The Associated Press reported, citing two US officials, that Washington scrapped plans for a joint photo of top G20 diplomats in Atlanta after several European ministers declined to be photographed with him. Miliband's remarks were reported by Sky News, cited by European Pravda.