Blinken, Lavrov discusses prisoner exchange, Grain initiative

0

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau

WASHINGTON, 31st July. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday held a phone conversation with his counterpart Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Blinken described a phone talk as “a frank and direct conversation,” said he “pressed the Kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner.”

He said that the proposal has been on the table since June, includes an offer to swap convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Blinken declined to say whether he thought Russians were more or less likely move on the proposal after his conversation with Larov, nor would he describe how Lavrov responded, he said at the State Department press conference,

Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that Lavrov “strongly suggested” to Blinken that the United States should return to a mode of “quiet diplomacy” regarding a possible prisoner exchange “without speculative information stuffing.”

Blinken emphasized that he thought it was important that his counterpart hear directly from him.

He said he discussed the some results on the grain deal initiative to allow Ukrainian grain to transit safely through the Black Sea be implemented.

Blinken noted that they’re “looking to see that move forward as soon as possible.”

Russian Foreign Ministry said they discussed this matter “in detail,” with Lavrov and blamed US sanctions for complicating the issue “and US promises to provide appropriate exemptions for Russian food supplies have not yet been fulfilled.”

Blinken said he warned Lavrov against Russia attempted to annex more of Ukraine, stressed that the “world will not recognize annexations” and “will impose additional significant costs on Russia if it moves forward with its plans.”

Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Lavrov told Blinken that Moscow’s “goals and objectives” in the war in Ukraine “will be fully implemented.”

Lavrov suggested to Blinken that the two sides return to quiet diplomacy on the issue of prisoner swaps.

“Regarding the possible exchange of imprisoned Russian and U.S. citizens, the Russian side strongly suggested a return to the practice of handling this in a professional way and using ‘quiet diplomacy’ rather than throwing out speculative information,” a Russian foreign ministry statement said.

In the case of two-time Olympic gold medalist Griner, who was arrested on drugs charges at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 and could face up to 10 years in prison.

Blinken said he emphasized to Lavrov that the world expected Russia to fulfill its commitments under a deal with Ukraine struck in Turkey to reopen grain and fertilizer exports that have been blocked by war, which is deepening a worldwide food crisis.

“Ambassador Brink, our ambassador to Ukraine, was in Odesa this morning. She confirmed the ships are loaded and ready to go…As I made clear, we’re looking to see that move forward as soon as possible,” he said.

Lavrov told Blinken that it was the U.S. sanctions that complicated the global food situation.

Lavrov said Russia will meet targets of its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine – the term Moscow uses to define its invasion of Ukraine, which it says is conducted in self-defense. Ukraine and its allies say the Russian assault is entirely unprovoked.

He told Blinken that ‘the continuous pumping of U.S. and NATO weapons into the armed forces of Ukraine…only prolongs the agony of the regime in Kyiv prolonging the conflict and multiplying the casualties,” according to the Russian foreign ministry.

According to a senior State Department official, the call took place shortly after noon Washington time and lasted for 25 minutes.

Lavrov downplayed the prospects of the call took place that day, and also suggested that the matter of the detained Americans should be discussed through other channels.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said during a visit to Uzbekistan that “Obviously it is unlikely to happen today, but in the coming days we will offer our American colleagues a suitable date,”.

Lavrov noted that “If we are talking about an exchange of prisoners, about an exchange of people who are detained in Russia and the United States, we have already commented on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that this topic was considered more than a year ago at the Geneva meeting in June 2021 between Presidents Putin and Biden,” according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

“There, they agreed to authorize the competent people to deal with these issues. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not one of them. But still, I will listen to what he has to say,” he said.

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price on Thursday acknowledged that the US officials had expressed frustration at Moscow’s lack of substantive response to the proposal to free Whelan and Griner, “This has not moved to the extent we would like.”

White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that “Holding two wrongfully detained Americans hostage for the release of a Russian assassin in a third country’s custody is not a serious counter-offer. It is a bad faith attempt to avoid the deal on the table that Russia should take.”

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.