Blinken Holds First Call With Lavrov Since February, Ceasefires Not Discussed
During a news conference on Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken
announced he held a call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on a potential bilateral prisoner exchange. A State Department official said the call lasted approximately
25 minutes. Washington and Moscow’s top diplomats discussed the Ukrainian grain export deal brokered by the UN and Turkey with Kiev and Moscow. Reportedly, also part of their dialogue was the role U.S. sanctions play in preventing the movement of Russian food supplies and fertilizer. This is the first time Blinken has spoken to Lavrov since
February 15th, more than a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Five months into this war, amid the
economic turmoil the American led sanctions blitz has caused, there is no indication that Blinken attempted to push for a ceasefire or negotiations to end the conflict.
The
call appears to have primarily focused on a tentative deal for the release of two Americans that Russia has detained. Blinken described the call to reporters at the State Department as "a frank and direct conversation." Adding he "pressed the Kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner." Whelan is a former US Marine who was charged and convicted on espionage charges, he is currently serving a 16-year sentence. Griner is a WNBA player who was arrested and is on trial for cannabis oil possession. She could face as much as a ten year sentence.
A source told
Reuters that for the two Americans’ release, Washington is
willing to exchange the Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout. Bout is serving a 25-year prison sentence. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement which says Lavrov told Blinken, in the future, Moscow would prefer to conduct such prisoner swap diplomacy in a more professional and quiet manner. Speaking at a news conference in Uzbekistan, Lavrov said talks on prisoner exchanges have been ongoing since last year’s summit in Geneva where Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin agreed to nominate officials to pursue the issue.
The US played no role in
talks that led to the recent deal opening safe corridors to facilitate the export of grain and fertilizer from Ukraine’s heavily mined Black Sea ports. However, Blinken emphasized that "the world expects Russia to fulfill its commitments."
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