Blinken spoke about the “frank and direct” conversation with Lavrov
US Secretary of State Blinken spoke about a phone conversation with Lavrov about Whelan and Ukraine The Secretary of State insisted that Moscow accept the offer to exchange Bout for Whelan and Greiner. Lavrov, in response, suggested returning to “quiet diplomacy” without “stuffing”< source srcset="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/resized/1200xH/media/img/8/07/756591153660078.webp 1200w" type="image/webp" media="(min-resolution: 192dpi) " >
Anthony Blinken
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he had a July 29 conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in which he pressed Russia to accept the US offer to free Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.
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“Earlier today, I spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. We had a frank and direct conversation. I insisted that the Kremlin accept our proposal regarding Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, — Blinken said.
The Secretary of State also added that during the conversation he stated the need for Russia to fulfill its obligations under the deal to export grain from Ukrainian ports. He stressed that plans for further “annexations” in Ukraine are unacceptable and the West will impose more sanctions against Russia if these plans are implemented.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also commented on the telephone conversation between Blinken and Lavrov. “Regarding the possible exchange of imprisoned citizens of Russia and the United States, the Russian side strongly suggested returning to a professional, without speculative information stuffing, dialogue in the “quiet diplomacy” mode, & mdash; the ministry said in a statement.
They noted that the heads of the foreign affairs agencies also discussed the situation in Ukraine and issues of transporting grain from Ukrainian ports.
The US proposal to exchange Russian businessman Viktor Bout, convicted in the United States, for the Americans Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia on a case of espionage, and basketball player Brittney Griner, accused of drug smuggling, became known at the end of July. According to CNN, President Joe Biden personally supported the initiative.
Read on RBC Pro Pro Stingy billionaire: how Gates, Buffett, Brin spend money in everyday life Articles Pro The price of gold has drawn a “death cross”. What is it and why is it dangerous? how Bill Gates relaxes Articles Pro “Playground for adults”: what it's like to work at Google – in 6 points p> The Russian Foreign Ministry specified that Moscow and Washington are negotiating the exchange of their citizens who are in custody, but there are no concrete results yet. The lack of agreements was also confirmed by the presidential representative, Dmitry Peskov.
Authors Tags Persons
Sergey Lavrov
diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia
March 21, 1950
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