MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will not meet his US counterpart Antony Blinken despite both attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York this weekend, Moscow said on Friday.
Tensions between Russia and the United States have worsened in the two and a half years since Moscow launched its military offensive in Ukraine, and Washington is currently mulling whether to give Ukraine a green light to strike targets inside Russia.
“Of course not. What is there to talk about with him (Blinken)?” Russian state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying when asked about a possible meeting between the top diplomats.
Russia’s Lavrov to speak at UN Security Council on Middle East peace efforts
More than 130 heads of state and government representatives are expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sunday – at a time when the international community seems unable to regulate conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan.
Russia, now one of the most sanctioned countries in the world, has seen ties with the West severely damaged by its military campaign in Ukraine.
Moscow insists it is not isolated – despite widescale sanctions and travel bans – and Ryabkov said Lavrov had a “colossal programme of meetings” in New York that “do not concern Ukraine”.
“Of course, the maniacal focus of our opponents on the topic of support for Ukraine is not going anywhere,” Rybakov said.
Russia and its allies wanted to show “this is not the only subject, or even the main one” at the UN General Assembly.
Moscow and Washington are also at loggerheads over a litany of other issues, including policies on Israel, Iran and North Korea.
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