Lavrov Says Discussed New START, Ukraine With Blinken at G20 in India

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday he and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Ukraine and strategic stability, with a focus on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), during the G20 meeting in India.

"Both sides have already made statements saying that we discussed strategic stability under the New START and the Ukrainian topic, so I am not revealing any secrets here about what we had discussed, as we were discussing nothing besides that," Lavrov said on Russian television.

The Russian minister described the 10-minute discussion as "constructive, emotionless" and "absolutely civilized."

He said Blinken's position on the matters discussed fully reflected the United States' official political course, while Lavrov himself thoroughly explained Russia's position, especially with regard to the New START, and that Russia was forced to suspend its participation in the only remaining arms control treaty between the two nuclear powers.

"We shook hands when we met and parted. It was a natural conversation," the Russian diplomat said.

New Delhi hosted a meeting of G20 foreign ministers from March 1-2. The top diplomats of Russia and the United States met on its sidelines for the first face-to-face since the start of hostilities in Ukraine in February 2022.

On February 22, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament passed a bill suspending Russia's participation in the New START, which was signed by Russia and the US in 2010 and envisaged mutual inspections of the strategic nuclear facilities of the two countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual address to the Russian parliament that the US demands that Russia unconditionally fulfill its obligations under the treaty while itself being arbitrary about its own obligations. He added that Russia suspended its participation and not withdrew from the treaty.