US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met briefly on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India, marking the first time the two have spoken face to face since the start of the Ukraine war one year ago. A senior State Department official confirmed that the discussion lasted less than 10 minutes, during which Mr Blinken reiterated that the US will support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” and called for the release of American citizen Paul Whelan, who is currently imprisoned in Russia. Mr Blinken also urged Russia to rejoin the New START nuclear arms control treaty, from which it recently withdrew.
Despite the brief nature of the meeting, a State Department official told reporters that Mr Blinken had “disabused” Mr Lavrov of any idea that US support for Ukraine is wavering. The official did not comment on how Mr Lavrov responded, but added that there was no indication that Russia will change course in the near term.
The war in Ukraine dominated discussions at the G20 summit, with Mr Lavrov accusing Western countries of trying to influence neutral states to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The West continues its attempts to push everyone and everything,” he said.
Mr Blinken reportedly held talks with top diplomats during the Delhi summit to rally support for Ukraine. In a closed-door group meeting, he reiterated his condemnation of the war and called on Russia to end its aggression and withdraw from Ukraine for the sake of international peace and economic stability.
The G20, which includes the world’s 19 wealthiest nations plus the European Union, accounts for 85% of global economic output and two-thirds of its population.
