Blink-en Miss: US Secretary of State 'lied' about talks with Lavrov, says Russian spokesperson

Moscow: In a major embarrassment for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has rubbished former’s claims that two diplomats discussed the release of a US marine sentenced to jail in Moscow as announced by the Americans. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Friday debunked Blinken’s statement as “lies”, an example of “astounding” behaviour by the US government. Zakharova on Friday said she had asked Lavrov about his “brief conversation” with Blinken, but Moscow’s top diplomat confided saying the case never came up in the short encounter. Addressing a press conference on Thursday in New Delhi, Blinken revealed that he and Lavrov “spoke briefly” on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 foreign ministers. The US Secretary of State further said he had “raised the wrongful detention of Paul Whelan who has been currently serving a 16-year prison term in Russia for espionage. Also Read: Blinken, Lavrov made contact, but didn't talk, says Russian spokesperson “The US has put forward a serious proposal. Moscow should accept it,” Blinken added. On Thursday, Blinken had asked for “contact” with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the second session of G20 foreign ministers meet. However, there were no talks or full-fledged meeting between the two diplomats, Zarkhova had earlier said. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov and Blinken “conversed briefly”, but there were no negotiations.” As per reports, Blinken, during his conversation with Lavrov reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to protecting Ukraine after growing support from European allies for peace initiatives. A report by NYT quoted a senior US State Defence Department official saying that Blinken make three points to Lavrov during their meeting which included - US continued support to Ukraine in its defence against Russia “for as long as it takes”, Russia should rejoin the New START nuclear arms control treaty, and Russia should release Whelan who has been sentenced to 16 years of hard labour in Russia on suspicion of spying. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.