Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a ready answer when his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, jokingly suggested that the Russian diplomat was responsible for snowy weather in Tokyo during the visit.

“Mister Lavrov, you brought snow to Tokyo,” Kono said during an official lunch, with the Russian FM being quick to reply: “Since we didn’t meddle in your election, we decided to meddle with the weather.”

The remark was followed by a burst of laughter from both Russian and Japanese officials, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, wrote, relaying the anecdote on her Facebook page. After mocking the unsubstantiated US accusations of Russian interference in the American election of 2016, the Russian FM took out his phone and a took a picture of the snowflakes falling outside the window – a rare sight in the Japanese capital, especially in spring.

🇷🇺🇯🇵Визит в Токио проходит в День рождения Сергея Лаврова. Японский министр тепло поздравил российского коллегу, завершив рабочий ланч праздничным тортом в виде футбольного мяча. Лавров в долгу не остался и подарил коллеге официальный мяч @fifaworldcup_rupic.twitter.com/KnU0jPufzG — МИД России 🇷🇺 (@MID_RF) 21 марта 2018 г.

It was also Lavrov’s birthday on Wednesday, with Kono congratulating his colleague and presenting him with a cake in the shape a of a soccer ball, a reference to the FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by Russia this summer.

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