Blinken met with Russian foreign minister for first time since Ukraine war began

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken consulted with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday for the very first time given that the war in Ukraine started more than a year earlier.

The short conference on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers conference in New Delhi comes amidst a few of the most increased stress in between Washington and Moscow in years.

According to a State Department authorities taking a trip with Blinken, the 2 promoted approximately 10 minutes.

In the discussion, Blinken contacted Russia to launch wrongfully apprehended American Paul Whelan and resume engagement with the New START treaty, the nuclear arms manage arrangement from which Putin suspended Russia’s involvement. Blinken likewise highlighted United States assistance for Ukraine, according to the United States authorities.

Blinken approached Lavrov on the sidelines of the conference, according to both the State Department authorities and Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative Maria Zakharova.

” Blinken requested contact with Lavrov,” Zakharova informed CNN. “Sergey Viktorovich (Lavrov) spoke on the go, as part of the 2nd session of the twenty [G20], there were no settlements, conferences, and so on”.

The last time Blinken and Lavrov fulfilled face to face remained in Geneva last January– simply weeks prior to the Russia got into Ukraine last February.

As just recently as Wednesday, Blinken recommended he would not consult with his Russian equivalent at the conference in the Indian capital.

” No strategies to see either at the G20, although I think that we’ll definitely remain in group sessions of one kind or another together,” Blinken stated at an interview Wednesday, referencing both Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

Blinken and Lavrov were both present at numerous conferences together over the previous year, however had actually not talked to each other on those celebrations.

The 2 spoke by phone last July for the very first time given that the start of the war. Because “frank and direct discussion,” Blinken stated he “pushed the Kremlin to accept the significant proposition that we presented on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner,” the latter of whom was released in a detainee swap in December.