Russia not changing its path: US on Ukraine war
United States (US) State Secretary Antony Blinken on Friday said that Russia was showing no signs of changing its direction on war with Ukraine. His comments came as foreign ministers of two dozen countries gathered in Indonesia's Jakarta for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum. Blinken added his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov instead used his position to attack Washington.
Lavrov focused on targeting US: Blinken
Speaking to reporters, Blinken said, "He (Lavrov) focused on the United States, unlike any other country, on a totally negative presentation agenda, in which he effectively attributed every problem in the world to the United States." "I didn't hear anything from Foreign Minister Lavrov that suggested any change in direction concerning what Russia is doing in Ukraine," he added.
Lavrov 'aggressively' dismissed call to withdraw troops: EU
Notably, this was the second time that Lavrov and Blinken met since Moscow invaded neighboring Ukraine in February last year. Previously, they saw each other in New Delhi in March during the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Separately, European Union (EU) Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell said Lavrov had "aggressively" dismissed a call to withdraw the military from Ukraine.
War would continue till West give up efforts: Russia
According to reports, Lavrov did not interact with the press after the meeting in Jakarta. However, during an interview with Indonesian media earlier this week, Lavrov emphasized that the conflict in Ukraine would continue until the Western nations "give up their plans to preserve their domination," including their "obsessive desire" to defeat Russia strategically.
Bliken met Chinese diplomat on Thursday
On Thursday, Blinken met Chinese diplomat Wang Yi for over 90 minutes and said the US was concerned by China's growing assertiveness in the South and East China Seas and on the Taiwan Strait. Meanwhile, China on Friday said, "The US needs to take a rational and pragmatic approach, work with China in the same direction... expand communication channels in diplomatic and security fields."
