Russia’s Lavrov Tries To Woo the World as Blinken Seemingly Blanks Out

On the heels of an alliance-forging mission to Cairo, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, will be seen this week in at least three additional African countries, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be arguably much less visible. Mr. Lavrov’s charm offensive, attempting to woo the world to Moscow’s side even as it presses on with its conquest of Ukraine, is at once predictable and remarkable, the latter because it stands in marked contrast to the largely absentee approach to conflict resolution taken by Mr. Blinken and President Biden.