Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rushed to hospital

Mr Lavrov has been one of Putin’s most staunch backers (Image: Getty)Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has been rushed to hospital after touching down in Indonesia for the G20 summit.Local officials said Lavrov was receiving treatment for a heart condition in a shock development which comes just hours before the Kremlin official was due to be confronted by world leaders over Russia’s actions in Ukraine.Three medical and governmental figures confirmed Lavrov was being treated in Bali.However, the news has been dismissed by the Kremlin as a “fake” report about the country’s most recognisable figure at the world summit.Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said of the report: “This, of course, is the height of fakery.”Lavrov has been serving as Moscow’s foreign minister since 2004, and is a loyal ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.Lavrov was understood to be Putin’s replacement at the summit, which begins on Tuesday.The world’s leaders will be gathering in Bali, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden, and Chinese premier Xi Jinping.Mr Sunak, who arrived in Bali early this morning, called Russia a “rogue state”, adding Putin’s seat will “remain vacant”.Putin has faced global condemnation from the parties gathered in Indonesia this week over the continuing Russian invasion of Ukraine.The Prime Minister said: “The man who is responsible for so much bloodshed in Ukraine and economic strife around the world will not be there to face his peers.”He added: “We will not let our economic future be held hostage by the actions of a rogue state – and nor will our allies.”Mr Sunak had previously said he would “call out Putin’s regime” in what would be the first opportunity for Britain to discuss the Ukraine invasion with Russian officials face-to-face.Ahead of the trip, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We will absolutely use every opportunity to confront Russia about their continued illegal actions.”We… will speak with our allies in one voice on this.”Mr Sunak wrote of the “five-point plan” he is promoting at the G20, outlining areas he says need “coordinated global action” to stop Russia “trying to asphyxiate the global economy”.The PM’s first three areas were: “Where it’s needed most” including for Ukraine and those struggling with energy bills; ending Russia’s “weaponisation of food”; and securing supply chains and transitioning away from dependency on Russia for energy.The last two were the promotion of the global free market and collaboration to ensure “financial stability”, including “calling out” those creating debt traps in emerging economies.The two-day summit, starting on Tuesday, comes as the world confronts some of the most significant economic challenges since G20 leaders first met to respond to the 2008 financial crisis.Economic woes have been exacerbated by the Ukraine war, which has fuelled a spike in energy and food prices as well as soaring global inflation.More to follow…