NEW DELHI, March 2. /TASS/: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in New Delhi and called on Russia to reverse the decision to suspend its participation in the New START treaty, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a senior US official.
The diplomats spoke for less than 10 minutes, according to the report. Blinken also said the US is prepared "to support Ukraine's defense as long as it takes."
The Wall Street Journal reported the meeting hadn’t been scheduled. Blinken, the report said, also called for the release of US citizen Paul Whelan, who had been convicted in Russia.
The Associated Press reported the US official declined to say how Lavrov responded, but said Blinken had the impression Russia wouldn’t change its policy in the short term.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 1 signed the law to suspend Russia’s participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The treaty had been signed in Prague in 2010 to be valid for 10 years, with an option to extend it for another five years. Russia and the US extended it for 5 years in February 2021. Russia notified the US on August 8 that it was suspending inspections of its facilities. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the decision was forced by the sanctions on Russia that the West imposed following the start of the special military operation.
