RIO DE JANEIRO, November 18. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will speak at plenary sessions of the G20 summit in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro in the capacity of the head of the Russian delegation.

Lavrov arrived in Brazil on Sunday from Abu Dhabi, where he attended the Sir Bani Yas international peace and security forum. In Rio de Janeiro, Lavrov leads the Russian delegation at the instruction from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On November 18, the top Russian diplomat is expected to speak at a plenary session on issues of fighting against poverty and famine, as well as of reforming global institutions.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Lavrov will hold a series of bilateral talks and meetings on the summit’s sidelines.

According to Zakharova, Russia plans to announce its intention to join the Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative led by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during the G20 summit. The Russian delegation will also advocate for inclusive ideas that support sustainable development, accommodating diverse national economic models and strategies.

This includes "approaches for the rational implementation of energy transitions, the maintenance of open, non-discriminatory international trade, and the creation of market mechanisms beyond the opportunistic and narrow interests of certain countries, in line with the spirit of the BRICS Kazan Summit decisions."

Zakharova stated that Russia aims to further depoliticize the G20 and condemn Western double standards, including "the West's redefinition of norms, the silence of the US and its allies regarding the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the use of economic tools as means of confrontation, suppression of dissent, and neocolonial exploitation." She highlighted that Russia welcomes the G20’s return to issuing ministerial declarations without geopolitical biases imposed by the West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said at a meeting with heads of BRICS media outlets that he would not be attending the G20 summit in Brazil due to take place on November 18 and 19 in order to avoid disrupting the event but promised to send a high-ranking official to represent Russia at the summit. He stressed that he maintained "good friendly relations" with his Brazilian counterpart.