Russian Foreign Minister Denies Reports He Was Hospitalized in Indonesia Ahead of G20

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Indonesia's President Joko Widodo as he arrives for the G20 leaders' summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 15, 2022. Kevin Lamarque/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that a report claiming he had been hospitalized in Indonesia due to a heart condition was “fake news,” adding that it was a political ploy ahead of the Group of 20 (G-20) summit.

“They [Western media] have been claiming that our president is sick for some 10 years. It is a game, which is nothing new in politics,” Lavrov said in a video posted by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Twitter.