A video involving Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit has gone viral on social media after he appeared to warn a journalist during a media interaction, saying security officials could “take out the gun” if the disturbance continued.
The incident happened during a press briefing when a journalist kept talking on the phone while Lavrov was answering questions. The repeated interruptions appeared to irritate the Russian minister, who stopped midway and asked the person to either leave or stop using the phone.
“Can you just leave us? It’s either you yourself or your phone,” Lavrov said during the interaction before continuing with the briefing.
However, a few moments later, the disturbance continued, prompting a sharper reaction from him. Lavrov then said, “Can you leave us? I am not joking. If you don’t surrender your phone, they will take out the gun.”
#Watch | "If you don't surrender your phone, they will pull out a gun": Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov loses cool at a journalist during the BRICS Foreign Ministers Summits in New Delhi pic.twitter.com/Tpdk5uNzTX
— NDTV WORLD (@NDTVWORLD) May 16, 2026
The remark quickly went viral online, with many social media users sharing clips of the exchange.
Lavrov’s meetings with Indian leaders
Lavrov was in India to attend the BRICS Summit and held several important meetings with Indian leaders during his visit. On Thursday, 14th May, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed bilateral relations between India and Russia along with major international developments, including the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Lavrov briefed PM Modi about the progress made in India-Russia cooperation since the meeting between Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit held in December 2025.
In a post shared on X, PM Modi said he appreciated the update provided by Lavrov on the progress of the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between the two countries.
Pleased to receive Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Thanked him for an update on the progress on various facets of our Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 14, 2026
We also exchanged views on various regional and global issues, including situation in Ukraine and West… pic.twitter.com/fg9YL1b0Se
Earlier in the week, Lavrov also sat down with India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar. Jaishankar pointed out that the bond between India and Russia is still growing strong despite all the uncertainty in the world right now.
