Slovak Prime Minister Fico criticizes European diplomats over Lavrov

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has described the refusal of European foreign ministers to pose for photographs with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as "absurd and infantile." The incident occurred during the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Atlanta, USA.

Fico also expressed support for the return of Russian hockey players to international competitions, arguing against the interference of politics in sports. He questioned the value of gold medals if Russian athletes, a major power in the discipline, are excluded from competition.

These comments follow statements from German diplomat Johann Wadephul, who indicated that European ministers would not pose with Lavrov and would continue to criticize Moscow. Sergey Lavrov responded by characterizing the German stance as "family photo diplomacy."