US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken does not intend to request a bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during international meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This statement was made on Thursday, July 29, by US State Department spokesman Ned Price.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Blinken does not plan to meet with Lavrov next week when they both [будут] be in Cambodia for a meeting in Southeast Asia, ”the spokesman is quoted in the material infobae.
Blinken is expected to visit Phnom Penh on August 3-5, Lavrov on August 4-5.
On the same day, Anthony Blinken said that he had held telephone conversations with Lavrov. The head of the American foreign policy department described the conversation with the Russian minister as “frank” and “straightforward.” During the conversation, the parties discussed the exchange of arrested Russian and American citizens, as well as the situation around Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, commenting on the negotiations between Blinken and Lavrov, added that the diplomats discussed the pumping of the Kyiv regime with weapons by the United States and the war crimes of Ukrainian neo-Nazis. Lavrov stressed that the Russian military abide by the norms of international law and strive to establish a peaceful life in the regions liberated from militants, while the actions of Kyiv and Washington only prolong the conflict and multiply the victims.
Earlier in the day, Lavrov told reporters that the Russian side had received a request for a telephone conversation with the US Secretary of State. He noted his readiness to listen to Blinken’s proposals for the exchange of prisoners and the export of grain.
At the same time, CNN reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden sent an offer to Russia to exchange Viktor Bout, who is serving a sentence in an American prison, for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, who are held in Russia.
Former State Department strategic communications adviser Dr. Kerry Karthner opined on July 28 that the United States needs to re-engage with Russia.
On March 19, Lavrov stressed that Russia is open to cooperation with the West, but will not take initiatives.
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