Blinken, Lavrov meet briefly as US-Russia tensions soar

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have spoken briefly at a meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 nations. U.S. officials say Blinken and Lavrov chatted for about 10 minutes on the sidelines of the conference in New Delhi. The short encounter marks the first time the two countries have met at a senior level in months as tensions over Russia’s war with Ukraine have soared and relations between Washington and Moscow have plummeted. A senior U.S. official says Blinken made three points to Lavrov: that U.S. support for Ukraine is solid and unwavering, that Russia should return to the New START arms control treaty and that it should release detained American Paul Whelan.