US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told his Russian counterpart to “end the war of aggression” against Ukraine.
The remarks are the first Mr Blinken has made face to face to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov since the start of the war one year ago.
The two met briefly on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India, Mr Blinken said.
He also raised the case of Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia.
In the brief meeting, Mr Blinken urged Russia to rejoin the New START nuclear arms control treaty, calling its recent withdrawal an “irresponsible decision”.
A senior State Department official said the discussion in Delhi lasted less than 10 minutes.
The official told reporters that Mr Blinken had “disabused” Mr Lavrov of any idea that US support for Ukraine is wavering.
Neither the official nor Mr Blinken commented on how Mr Lavrov responded. The official, however, said that there was no indication that Russia will change course in the near term. (BBC)