State Department spokesman Price: Washington does not intend to apologize for Blinken’s dialogue with Lavrov
The United States does not intend to apologize for the meeting between Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India’s New Delhi. This statement was made by US State Department spokesman Ned Price, his words are quoted by RIA News.
Price explained that during the dialogue with Lavrov, the Secretary of State raised issues of concern to Washington.
We won’t apologize for acting on our behalf
He also emphasized the short duration of Blinken’s conversation with Lavrov, noting that this cannot be called a full-fledged bilateral meeting. Moscow, according to the representative of the State Department, is trying to “make noise” against the backdrop of what happened.
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Blinken and Lavrov meeting at the G20
Initially, neither the Russian nor the American side planned to have contacts with each other on the sidelines of the forum. The absence of such intentions was stated by Blinken, who also refused to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. In turn, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Ryabkov said that the Russian delegation also did not plan to meet with the US Secretary of State.
In addition, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, also ruled out negotiations between Blinken and Lavrov. She argued that Washington has long supported the escalation of conflicts, relegating diplomacy to the background.
What Blinken and Lavrov talked about
However, despite this, the diplomats still talked. During the dialogue, Blinken called on Lavrov to reverse the decision to suspend Moscow’s participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). In addition, the Secretary of State stressed Washington’s intention to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.
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Also during the meeting, the issue of the exchange of Paul Whelan, a former US Marine convicted of espionage, was raised.
The United States has made a serious offer. Moscow must accept it
However, according to Zakharova, Blinken’s desire to talk with Lavrov can be explained by the American side’s interest in “image, PR and self-promotion.” She noted that the Americans have a number of questions to the country’s authorities, but they have nothing to present. “There is nothing to show but to catch Lavrov along the corridors by the lapels of his jacket, that’s all,” the diplomat said.
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