- By Barbara Plett Usher in Delhi and Nadine Yousif
- BBC news
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to “end this war of aggression” against Ukraine.
The comments were the first Mr Blinken has dealt with Mr Lavrov since the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia more than a year ago.
The two met briefly on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Indian capital Delhi on Thursday.
Mr Blinken also raised the case of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia.
A senior State Department official said the discussion in Delhi lasted less than 10 minutes.
“I told the foreign minister [Sergei Lavrov] what I and many others said last week at the United Nations, and what many foreign ministers of the G20 are saying today – end this war of aggression, engage in meaningful diplomacy that will provide a reasonable and lasting peace,” Mr Blinken said at a briefing after the talks.
He said he also urged Russia to rejoin the New START nuclear arms control treaty, describing as “irresponsible” Moscow’s recent decision to suspend its participation in the treaty.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the meeting took place but did not provide further details.
The last time Mr Blinken and Mr Lavrov met was in Geneva in January 2022.
On Thursday, Mr Lavrov accused Western countries of trying to influence neutral states to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The West continues its attempts to push everyone and everything,” he said.
Mr Blinken reportedly spoke to top diplomats during the Delhi summit to rally support for Ukraine.
He repeated his condemnation of Russia at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva later in the day, appearing via video link.
But he said Russian President Vladimir Putin “has shown no interest in participating”.
The G20, which includes the 19 richest countries in the world and the European Union, accounts for 85% of global economic output and two-thirds of its population.