A senior State Department source said the secretary of state “did not get the impression” Russia would be changing its behavior as tensions ramp up.
Topline
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had an unscheduled meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in New Delhi, multiple outlets report, as tensions escalate after President Joe Biden reinforced the country’s commitment to helping Ukraine in its fight against Moscow—which a State Department official suggested are unlikely to quiet down soon.Key Facts
Blinken and Lavrov met for approximately 10 minutes at the G20 meeting, the Associated Press reports, after the secretary of state previously said Wednesday he had “no plans” to meet either Lavrov or his Chinese counterpart.
A senior State Department official told reporters Blinken said to Lavrov the U.S. would continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes” and urged Russia to move toward a peace treaty, the AP and Bloomberg report, with the AP noting the secretary “disabused” Lavrov of the idea the U.S. would back down on its support of Kyiv.
It’s unclear how Lavrov responded, the AP reports, but the official noted Blinken “did not get the impression that there would be any change in Russia’s behavior in the near term.”
Blinken also urged Lavrov to have Russia rejoin the New START nuclear arms treaty after Russian President Vladimir Putin said February 21 he was suspending Russia’s involvement in it, and told Russia to release U.
