U.S., Russian officials meet for first time since Ukraine invasion

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke briefly on Thursday as foreign ministers of leading rich and developing nations met in New Delhi, India. It is the first time the officials have spoken in person since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. The men reportedly talked for about 10 minutes on the sidelines of the two-day conference. A U.S. State Department official said Blinken reiterated America’s support for Ukraine and said Russia should rejoin the New START nuclear arms control treaty.

What else was discussed at the G-20 summit? Diplomats from the Group of 20 industrialized nations signed agreements on promoting food and energy security, climate change, global health, and counterterrorism. Discussions about the war in Ukraine dominated the talks, but no agreements were reached on the subject. Last week, China and Russia objected to two paragraphs about the war included in last year’s G-20 declaration. 

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s report in WORLD Magazine about the Ukrainian refugees still sojourning in foreign lands a year after Russia invaded their country.