A brief meeting
India is hosting the G20 and the atmosphere is tense. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke briefly on the sidelines in an encounter that lasted less than ten minutes today. It was the first exchange between the two men since Putin invaded Ukraine.
A senior State Department official briefed reporters in a background call. Blinken hit on three topics with Lavrov in the quick meeting. He brought up Putin’s decision to suspend New START, and the detainment of American citizen Paul Whelan, and he stressed the continued commitment of the United States to Ukraine.
Blinken urged Russia to reverse Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to suspend New START, a key nuclear arms control treaty between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. Blinken noted that the treaty is in the interest of both countries as well as international security and that the world expects the nations to behave responsibly when it comes to nuclear security.
Blinken also reiterated the need for the Kremlin to release detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan. He noted that the U.S. had put a proposal on the table and said they should accept it.
Additionally, Blinken underscored continued support for Ukraine from the United States, including his proposals for a just and durable peace that respects the United Nations Charter and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the official said. Blinken stressed that Ukraine and the U.S. want Russia’s war to end on that basis, but that a similar determination from Moscow continues to be missing.
Blinken asked for a chance to make contact with Lavrov, according to a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry. The on-the-go meeting happened during the second session of the G20 today but there were no negotiations.
