US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in New Delhi, according to a State Department official who was traveling with the US secretary. .
Blinken and Lavrov spoke for about 10 minutes, the same official said. In the conversation, Blinken urged Russia to release Paul Whelan and resume participation in the New START nuclear weapons treaty, as well as stressing US support for Ukraine, according to the source.
The meeting comes as tensions remain high over Ukraine, as well as Russia’s suspension of the new START treaty.
The source also said that this meeting was unplanned and that Secretary Blinken was the one who approached Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed to CNN that the meeting took place.
“Blinken requested contact with Lavrov. On the move, as part of the second session of the twenty, Sergei Lavrov spoke. There were no negotiations, meetings, etc,” she said.
The last time Blinken and Lavrov met in person was before the Russian invasion.
Earlier, Blinken said a meeting of G20 finance ministers was “marred” by the war in Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, this meeting was again marred by Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine, deliberate campaign of destruction against civilian targets and its attack on fundamental principles of the UN Charter,” he said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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