Russia’s Lavrov Calls Truss Uncompromising, Mocks Her Macron Comment

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai in Moscow on September 6, 2022. (Handout / Russian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai in Moscow on September 6, 2022. (Handout / Russian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
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Russia’s Lavrov Calls Truss Uncompromising, Mocks Her Macron Comment

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai in Moscow on September 6, 2022. (Handout / Russian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai in Moscow on September 6, 2022. (Handout / Russian Foreign Ministry / AFP)

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday criticized Britain's new Prime Minister Liz Truss for not being willing to compromise and mocked her for saying she did not know if the French president was a friend or an enemy.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Lavrov said Truss' approach would not help Britain on the international stage.

Lavrov said Truss tried to "defend Britain's interests without taking into account the positions of others in any way and without any attempt to compromise."

He added: "I do not think that this will help Britain to maintain or strengthen its position in the international arena, which has clearly been shaken after it left the European Union."

Lavrov also taunted the incoming British leader over recent tension with French President Emmanuel Macron, a key NATO ally for Britain. During a campaign event last month, Truss said the "jury is out" on whether Macron was a friend or foe.

"For Liz Truss ... it should be more of a priority to deal with her closest neighbors, including finally deciding whether President Macron is her friend or enemy. This question is still hanging in the air," Lavrov said.

Russian politicians and media have greeted Truss' victory in the contest to replace Boris Johnson with scorn, lambasting what they see as her anti-Russian position.

Lavrov said Britain had in recent years taken to trying to "compensate" for Brexit by taking "drastic steps on the world stage" and was acting "aggressively over the situation in Ukraine."

Britain has been one of the most vocal backers of Kyiv and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy since Russia invaded in late February.

Truss, Britain's foreign minister who is replacing Johnson as prime minister from Tuesday, has said she will not abandon London's support, which has included significant military and financial aid.



Protest Against Gaza War Prevents Israeli Visitors from Touring Greek Island

Two empty chairs stand on a beach as people cool off during a heat wave, near Athens, Greece, 22 July 2025. (EPA)
Two empty chairs stand on a beach as people cool off during a heat wave, near Athens, Greece, 22 July 2025. (EPA)
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Protest Against Gaza War Prevents Israeli Visitors from Touring Greek Island

Two empty chairs stand on a beach as people cool off during a heat wave, near Athens, Greece, 22 July 2025. (EPA)
Two empty chairs stand on a beach as people cool off during a heat wave, near Athens, Greece, 22 July 2025. (EPA)

A cruise ship carrying Israeli tourists left the Greek island of Syros Tuesday without its passengers disembarking, after more than 150 protesters demonstrated at the island’s port, unfurling Palestinian flags and calling for an end to the war in Gaza.

Carrying banners that read: “Stop the Genocide” and “No a/c in hell” — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip — the protesters chanted slogans on the dock near where the cruise ship, the Crown Iris, was docked on Tuesday, local media said. There were no reports of any violence.

The ship is operated by an Israeli company, Mano Cruise, which said about 1,700 passengers were on board and it is sailing to Cyprus.

Greece’s coast guard said the ship set sail at around 3 p.m., earlier than originally scheduled, but did not immediately have any further details.

“The management of Mano Cruise has decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination,” the company said in a press release. “All passengers and crew members are resting and spending time on the ship on their way to the new destination.”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar contacted his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, over the incident, the Greek foreign ministry confirmed. It did not release any details of their discussion.