America put pressure on Russia on Ukraine issue in the first high level meeting after the war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a brief meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New Delhi on Thursday to press for the Ukraine issue. This was the first face-to-face conversation at a high level between the two countries since the Russia-Ukraine war. A senior US official said that Blinken met Lavrov on the sidelines of the G-20 talks, which lasted less than 10 minutes. A day earlier, Blinken had said that he had no plans to meet his Russian and Chinese counterparts.

On the Ukraine issue, the US official said, "We are hopeful that the Russians will reverse their decision and will be ready to engage in a diplomatic process that leads to a just and durable peace." During the discussion, Blinken also urged Russia to release former US Marine Paul Whelan, detained since late 2018, and to reverse President Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend the New START nuclear treaty. "This treaty is in the interest of both countries as well as international security, because the world expects us to behave responsibly when it comes to nuclear security," Blinken told Lavrov.

Notably, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also today held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on bilateral relations and various global issues including Ukraine conflict. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in the national capital. It is learned that the Ukraine dispute and India's agenda for the G20 figured in the talks.