Talks with Blinken at G20 ‘constructive’ but US said nothing new: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of G20 meet were "constructive" but that the US said nothing new. Both leaders met during the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in India last week. Russia and US are at two opposite ends of political manoeuvres especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

Lavrov was speaking during an interview on Russian state TV. He said that he spoke with Blinken for 10 minutes and both of them discussed nuclear arms issues and the conflict in Ukraine. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since the Russian invasion.

"We spoke constructively, without emotions, we shook hands," Lavrov said.

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"Everything I heard was a position that has already been expressed and underlined in public many times before. I gave my honest, detailed assessment about the New START treaty, and why we saw it necessary to suspend it," he said.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Russian participation in the new START nuclear arms treaty. He accused the US of trying to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia in the Ukraine conflict.

Russia said on Friday it was still in contact with Washington over the treaty, but held out little prospect of returning to it.

Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24 last year. After sustained gains in the first months of the conflict, Russian forces had to retreat in face of Ukrainian counter-offensive. Russianforces are currently trying very hard to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

(With inputs from agencies)

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