At a G20 meeting in India's New Delhi on Thursday, Russia took the opportunity to slam calls from the West to end its war in Ukraine. On the sidelines of that meeting, however, another surprise get-together was taking place: that of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who very briefly spoke on a variety of issues, reports the BBC. A senior official from the US State Department noted their meeting lasted not even 10 minutes.
The New York Times, which calls the meeting an "unexpected" one, reports that Blinken is said to have made three points to Lavrov: that the United States will back Ukraine against the Russian invasion "for as long as it takes"; that Russia should set free imprisoned American Paul Whelan, who's been detained there since December 2018; and that Russia should rejoin the START nuclear arms control treaty it pulled out of last month.
Per the BBC, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was Blinken who asked to speak to Lavrov, though the US hasn't confirmed that. The last time the two men met was in January 2022, the month before Russia invaded Ukraine. The AP notes those talks, during which Blinken had warned Lavrov about possible consequences if Russia started any military operations against Ukraine, were "inconclusive." Blinken canceled a follow-up meeting with Lavrov on Feb. 22, 2022—two days before Russia invaded Ukraine. (More Antony Blinken stories.)
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