'Of course not': No Lavrov-Blinken meet at UN, Russia says 'there's nothing to talk about'

Russia, on Friday, confirmed that its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will not be meeting his US counterpart Antony Blinken in New York where they both, along with over 130 heads of state and government representatives will congregate over the weekend to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session.

“Of course not. What is there to talk about with him (Blinken)?” Russian state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying when asked about a possible meeting between Lavrov and Blinken at the UNGA on Sunday.

Tensions between Russia and the United States have worsened since February 2022 after Moscow launched full-scale military offensive in Ukraine. Also, Washington is currently mulling whether to give Ukraine a green light to strike targets inside Russia.

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Russia, now one of the most sanctioned countries in the world, has seen ties with the West severely damaged by its military campaign in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia insists it is not isolated – despite widescale sanctions and travel bans – and Ryabkov said Lavrov had a “colossal programme of meetings” in New York that “do not concern Ukraine”.

“Of course, the maniacal focus of our opponents on the topic of support for Ukraine is not going anywhere,” Rybakov said.

Russia and its allies wanted to show “this is not the only subject, or even the main one” at the UN General Assembly.

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Russia and the US are also at loggerheads over a litany of other issues, including policies on Israel, Iran and North Korea.

With inputs from AFP.