Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Lavrov intended to make the trip to Vedomosti, while Malta’s Embassy in Russia said invitations to the Dec. 5-6 meeting “will be sent to all OSCE delegations in due course.”
The last time Lavrov visited an EU country was a trip to Stockholm for an OSCE gathering in December 2021, according to the Russian foreign ministry.
In 2023, Lavrov traveled to North Macedonia for an OSCE ministerial, after Bulgaria gave permission for his plane to cross its airspace en route to Skopje. The move sparked criticism from Kyiv, with several countries including Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania choosing to boycott the meeting over Lavrov’s participation.
