US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told his Russian counterpart to “end the war of aggression” against Ukraine.
The remarks are the first Mr Blinken has made face to face to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov since the start of the war one year ago.
The two met briefly on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India, Mr Blinken said.
He also raised the case of Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia.
In the brief meeting, Mr Blinken urged Russia to rejoin the New START nuclear arms control treaty, calling its recent withdrawal an “irresponsible decision”.
A senior State Department official said the discussion in Delhi lasted less than 10 minutes.
The official told reporters that Mr Blinken had “disabused” Mr Lavrov of any idea that US support for Ukraine is wavering.
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Neither the official nor Mr Blinken commented on how Mr Lavrov responded. The official, however, said that there was no indication that Russia will change course in the near term.
The Russian foreign ministry said Mr Blinken had asked to speak to Mr Lavrov but did not comment on the conversation.
The last time the two met was in Geneva in January 2022.
Both Mr Lavrov and Mr Blinken commented on the war in Ukraine earlier during the Delhi summit.
On Thursday, Mr Lavrov accused 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 on Thursday morning, Mr Blinken reemphasised his condemnation of the war.
“We must continue to call on Russia to end its war of aggression and withdraw from Ukraine for the sake of international peace and economic stability,” he said, according to a text of his remarks released to reporters by the US State Department.
“Unfortunately, this meeting has again been marred by Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine,” he added.
Mr Blinken repeated his condemnation to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva later in the day, where he appeared via video conference.
At a news conference on Thursday in Delhi, Mr Blinken said Russia should “engage in meaningful diplomacy that can produce a just and durable peace”. He added, however, that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has demonstrated zero interest in engaging”.
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.
Source: BBCNEWS
