Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov visited and later left a Bali hospital ahead of the G20 summit being held on the island, Indonesian authorities said on Monday. Russia denied that he had been hospitalised.
Bali Governor I Wayan Koster said Mr Lavrov was taken to Sanglah Hospital, the island’s biggest, “for a health check-up”.
“He left the hospital after a brief check-up and his health is in good condition,” the governor said.
Indonesian government and medical officials had said Mr Lavrov, 72, had been treated for a heart condition.
The hospital did not immediately comment.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova later denied that Mr Lavrov had been hospitalised but did not address whether he had received treatment.
She posted a video of Mr Lavrov, looking healthy in a T-shirt and shorts, in which he was asked to comment on the report of his treatment.
“They’ve been writing about our president for 10 years that he’s fallen ill. It’s a game that is not new in politics,” Mr Lavrov says in the video.
Russia’s state news agency Tass cited Mr Lavrov as saying: “I’m in the hotel, reading materials for the summit tomorrow.”
Mr Lavrov is the highest-ranking Russian official at the gathering, which US President Joe Biden, China’s Xi Jinping and other leaders are attending.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attendance at the G20 had been uncertain until last week, when officials confirmed he would not come and that Russia would be represented by Mr Lavrov instead.
Fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is expected to be among the issues discussed at the two-day G20 meeting, which brings together officials from countries representing more than 80% of the world’s economic output.
