Since Russia expanded its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Lavrov has had EU sanctions against him. However, it does not prevent him from participating when OSCE – the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – holds its regular foreign ministers' meeting in the presiding country Malta on Thursday and Friday.
Last year, Lavrov also attended the corresponding OSCE meeting, which was then held in the non-EU country North Macedonia. Several foreign ministers from, among others, Ukraine and the Baltic countries chose to leave the meeting room when Lavrov was to speak.
Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard does not want to announce in advance how she will act.
OSCE offers a rather unique format in that you can sit at the same table, in the same room as Russia, and express very clear criticism of their terrible aggression, but also very clearly show support for Ukraine, and I look forward to expressing that, she says after the NATO countries' foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.
