Truth vs 'height of fakery' over Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov's health

Conflicting reports emerged from Bali over the health of Russia foreign minister Sergey Lavrov from Indonesia who is attending the G-20 in Bali.

While Indonesian offcials said Lavrov was taken to the hospital because of a health concern following his arrival for the summit, Russia denied that he had been hospitalised.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the news of his hospitalisation “the highest level of fakery”.

She posted a video of Lavrov, looking healthy in a T-shirt and shorts, in which he was asked to comment on the report.

“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,” Lavrov says in the video.

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Russia's state news agency Tass separately cited Lavrov as saying, “I'm in the hotel, reading materials for the summit tomorrow.” Lavrov is the highest-ranking Russian official at the G-20 meeting, which US President Joe Biden, China's Xi Jinping and other leaders are attending.

Four Indonesian government and medical officials told The Associated Press that Lavrov was treated at the Sanglah Hospital in the provincial capital, Denpasar.