US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told his Russian counterpart the US will support Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.
Mr Blinken met briefly with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India.
It is the first time the two have spoken face to face since the start of the Ukraine war one year ago.
A senior State Department official said the discussion in Delhi lasted less than 10 minutes.
Mr Blinken also told Mr Lavrov that Russia should release Paul Whelan, an imprisoned American citizen, and that Russia should rejoin the New START nuclear arms control treaty that it recently withdrew from.
A State Department official told reporters that Mr Blinken had “disabused” Mr Lavrov of any idea that US support for Ukraine is wavering.
The official did not say how Mr Lavrov responded, but said that there was no indication that Russia will change course in the near term.
The Russian foreign ministry said Mr Blinken had asked to speak to Mr Lavrov but did not comment on the conversation.
The last time the two met was in Geneva in January 2022.
The G20, which includes the world’s 19 wealthiest nations plus the European Union, accounts for 85% of global economic output and two-thirds of its population.
Source: BBC
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