US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday called on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to sign the former Soviet republic to the “New Start” treaty, the only nuclear arms reduction treaty between the two countries.
The American press released information about the meeting between the heads of the American and Russian diplomatic corps, which took place on the sidelines of the meeting of chancellors of the nations that make up the G20, in New Delhi, India.
This was the first face-to-face meeting between Blinken and Lavrov since the Ukrainian war broke out on February 24 last year.
Citing a high-ranking State Department official as a source, “The Washington Post” said Blinken mentioned three points with Lavrov: signing the “new Start”; that the United States will continue to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia “for as long as necessary”.
In addition, the Secretary of State demanded the release of the American Paul Whelan, who is imprisoned in Russia.
Blinken was the one who requested the meeting, something that suggests, according to the newspaper, that Joe Biden’s government wants to keep the lines of communication with Moscow open, despite its unconditional support for Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the press that the Secretary of State had asked to speak with Lavrov “about the march, within the framework of the second session of the G20” and assured that it was not “a negotiation or meeting”.
Since arriving in New Delhi, for the ministerial summit, the Russian chancellor had met with the foreign ministers of Brazil, China, India and Turkey.
The START treaty was signed in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 8, 2010, by then US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
The pact limited the number of strategic nuclear weapons, with a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads and 700 ballistic systems for each of the two powers, on land, sea or air.
The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, however, announced the suspension of the country’s participation in the treaty, due to the policies of the West.
#Blinken #urges #Russia #sign #Start #nuclear #weapons #treaty