U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Discuss Ukraine Conflict and New START Treaty at G20 Meeting

At a meeting of the Group of 20 nations in India on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a brief discussion. This was the first high-level meeting between the two countries in months, since Russia invaded Ukraine.

According to a senior State Department official, the discussion lasted less than 10 minutes. During the conversation, Blinken made three points to Lavrov. He said that the U.S. would support Ukraine in the conflict for as long as it takes to bring the war to an end. He also urged Russia to reverse its decision to suspend participation in the New START nuclear treaty. Blinken noted that the treaty is in the interest of both countries as well as international security. Lastly, he asked Moscow to release political prisoners.

The New START treaty is a key nuclear arms control treaty between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. It was signed in 2010 and was set to expire in 2021, but was extended for five years in 2021. The treaty limits the number of deployed nuclear warheads and delivery systems that each country can possess.

The meeting between Blinken and Lavrov comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine and its alleged interference in the 2020 U.S. election. Russia has responded by expelling U.S. diplomats and imposing its own sanctions. It remains to be seen how the two countries will move forward in the coming months.