Blinken, Lavrov hold 'on the go' talk at G-20 meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had an "on the go" talk during the G-20 Meeting of Foreign Ministers in India, but there were no negotiations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS, a Russian news agency, Thursday.
"Blinken asked for a contact with Lavrov. Sergey Viktorovich [Lavrov] had communication on the go during the second session. But there were no negotiations, no meeting or so on," the diplomat said.
Blinken had said earlier in the day during a press conference he had "spoke briefly" with Lavrov and discussed ending the war, as well as Russia rejoining the New START Treaty on nuclear arms.
"I told the foreign minister what I and so many others said last week at the United Nations and what so many G-20 foreign ministers said today: End this war of aggression, engage in meaningful diplomacy that could produce a just and durable peace," he said. "The United States stands ready to support Ukraine through diplomacy to end the war on this basis."
A senior State Department official downplayed any hopes that the conversation moved the needle on any of the topics.
-ABC News' Tanya Stukalova and Shannon Crawford