On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had his first conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov since Moscow began its war in Ukraine in late February.
The conversation was the first of its kind since Moscow began the conflict in Ukraine.
Blinken stated that he “pressed the Kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner.”
The top US diplomat described the conversation as being “frank and straight,” and Blinken said that he “pushed” the Kremlin to accept the plan.
According to a report that CNN published earlier this week, the aforementioned proposal, which has been on the table since June, includes an offer to swap convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
During a press conference held at the State Department, Blinken refused to say whether he thought it was more or less likely that the Russians would move on the proposal following the conversation. He also refused to describe how Lavrov responded to the conversation.
Lavrov “strongly suggested,” to Blinken that the United States should return to a mode of “quiet diplomacy” regarding a possible prisoner exchange, according to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
The statement added that there should be “no speculative information stuffing.”
Blinken highlighted that he believed it was essential that his colleague hear directly from him, as he stated on Wednesday that he intended to speak to Lavrov this week and that he will speak to him this week.
The senior US ambassador stated that he also highlighted the expectation that the accord to allow Ukrainian grain to pass safely via the Black Sea will be executed, and he mentioned that they are “eager to see that move forward as quickly as practicable.”
Lavrov blamed US sanctions for further complicating the issue, and the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the US promises to provide appropriate exemptions for Russian food supplies have not yet been fulfilled.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the two discussed this matter “in detail” during their meeting.
Blinken said that he also warned Lavrov against Russia’s attempt to annex more of Ukraine.
He emphasised that the “world will not recognise annexations” and that it “will impose additional significant costs on Russia if it moves forward with its plans.”
Blinken said that he warned Lavrov against Russia’s attempt to annex more of Ukraine.
According to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Lavrov assured Blinken that Moscow’s “plans and objectives” in the conflict in Ukraine are going to be carried out in their entirety.
“An official of a higher rank within the State Department has stated that the contact took place shortly after noon local time in Washington and lasted for around 25 minutes.
In an earlier statement made on Friday, Lavrov played down the likelihood that the call would take place on that day.
He also made the suggestion that the issue of the Americans who are being held should be discussed through other channels.
During his trip to Uzbekistan, the Russian Foreign Minister made the following statement: “Obviously, it is unlikely that it will happen today, but in the future days we will propose to our American colleagues a suitable date.”
According to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Lavrov made the following comment regarding an exchange of prisoners: “If we are talking about an exchange of prisoners, about an exchange of people who are detained in Russia and the United States, we have already commented on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that this topic was considered more than a year ago at the Geneva meeting in June 2021 between Presidents Putin and Biden.”
Read more:-
- At the naturalisation ceremony held in Springfield, more than sixty people became citizens of the United States
- The Term “Recession” Has a Fluid Definition in the US
- Whistleblowers Help the Government Save Money
“There, they came to the conclusion that the most qualified individuals should be given permission to handle these concerns. There is not one of them that is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
But despite that, I’m going to pay attention to what he has to say “he said.
US officials had already voiced their irritation at Moscow’s lack of a substantial reaction to the proposal to free Whelan and Griner before the call that took place between Blinken and Lavrov.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the State Department named Ned Price said that “this has not moved to the extent that we would like.”
