Secretary of State Blinken meets briefly with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov at G20 conference

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday briefly talked with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting of top officials from the Group of 20 nations, amid heightened tensions more than a year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Blinken told reporters at a news conference that he advocated for the end of the war in Ukraine during his talk with Larov at the G-20 conference in New Delhi. He also said, "President Putin, has demonstrated zero interest in engaging, saying there is nothing to even talk about until Ukraine accepts the new territorial reality," according to The Associated Press.

Lavrov and Blinken spoke for about 10 minutes during the G-20 conference in New Delhi, U.S. officials said. 

Blinken also said he urged Russia to not suspend its participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty. "Mutual compliance is in the interest of both our countries," he said he told Lavrov.

Blinken's other message to Lavrov was to release detained former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan from Russia. He said he told Lavrov, "The United States has put forward a serious proposal. Russia should take it."

The two diplomats have not spoken since this past summer when Blinken called Lavrov to propose releasing Whelan and since-freed WNBA star Brittney Griner.