U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks to a gathering on the sideline of the G-20 overseas ministers’ assembly in New Delhi on March 2
Olivier Douliery/POOL/AFP through Getty Photos
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Olivier Douliery/POOL/AFP through Getty Photos
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks to a gathering on the sideline of the G-20 overseas ministers’ assembly in New Delhi on March 2
Olivier Douliery/POOL/AFP through Getty Photos
NEW DELHI, India — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov met briefly on the sidelines of the G-20 overseas ministers assembly in India. It is the primary face-to-face interplay between the nations’ two high diplomats since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Relations between the 2 nations have collapsed over that struggle, with the U.S. slapping 1000’s of sanctions on Russia, whereas militarily, economically and diplomatically supporting Ukraine.
In response to a senior State Division official, the assembly lasted lower than 10 minutes. The official stated that Blinken made three factors to his Russian counterpart: that U.S. help for Ukraine would proceed “for so long as it takes”; that Russia ought to rejoin the New START nuclear arms management treaty that it lately suspended participation from; and that he pressed Russia to launch Paul Whelan, an imprisoned U.S. citizen.
The U.S. lately introduced one other massive tranche of weapons to Ukraine, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who was lately in Ukraine, pledged extra U.S. financial support.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Russia’s participation within the New START treaty final month, shortly earlier than the 12 months mark of the invasion. It’s the final remaining arms management treaty between the 2 nuclear powers.
The final time Blinken and Lavrov met was in Geneva in January 2022, within the month main as much as Russia’s invasion.
India, which holds the rotating chair of the G-20 this 12 months, has hoped the struggle in Ukraine is not going to dominate proceedings on the G-20 conferences and as an alternative needs it to concentrate on among the points extra pertinent to the World South akin to local weather change, meals safety, inflation and debt aid.
