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Several officials left the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), ministers' meeting session during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's address.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov faced criticism from Western ministers during international security talks in Northern Macedonia on Thursday, where he attributed the return of war to Europe to "NATO’s reckless expansion to the East."

Lavrov, attending meetings OSCE, encountered a diplomatic boycott from several OSCE member nations, including Ukraine, due to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.

Speaking for 15 minutes before walking out, Lavrov blamed Western tolerance of what he termed the "ruling neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv" for the conflict that began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"The very existence of Russians and their decisive contribution to the history of Ukraine are denied," Lavrov asserted. "There are plenty of facts. The OSCE and its relevant institutions are silent."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently labeled Ukraine’s government as “neo-Nazis,” despite the country having a democratically elected Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust. The invocation of the Holocaust, World War II, and Nazism by Russian officials is widely seen as disinformation.

Western ministers at the OSCE meeting sharply criticized Lavrov after his address. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, speaking when Lavrov walked out, stated, "Russia’s attempts to blame others for its own choices are transparent."

“We will not compromise on the core principles of the European security order or allow Russia to deny Ukraine the right to make its own independent foreign and security policy choices – principles that Russia itself has agreed to,” Rasmussen added.

The OSCE, based in Vienna, Austria, focuses on promoting security, stability, and cooperation among participating states.

Lavrov's attendance at the talks prompted NATO member North Macedonia to lift a ban on Russian flights. The minister, reportedly flying a longer route over Turkey and Greece after Bulgaria blocked his plane from using its airspace, arrived amid the absence of foreign ministers from Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien, present at the event, accused Russia of undermining the work of the OSCE. North Macedonia’s foreign minister, Bujar Osmani, emphasized the OSCE's endurance despite Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

“War undermines trust, dialogue, and our capacity to deliver. Above all, it devastates the lives of ordinary people,” Osmani stated during the meetings.