Jaishankar holds talks with Blinken, Lavrov at G20 | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Jaishankar holds talks with Blinken, Lavrov at G20

By, New Delhi
Jul 09, 2022 04:27 AM IST

The conflict in Ukraine figured in external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s meetings on Friday with both US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, with the leaders discussing ways to cope with the global consequences of the crisis.

The conflict in Ukraine figured in external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s meetings on Friday with both US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, with the leaders discussing ways to cope with the global consequences of the crisis.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken (R) with external affairs minister S Jaishankar, in Bali on Friday. (Reuters)
US secretary of state Antony Blinken (R) with external affairs minister S Jaishankar, in Bali on Friday. (Reuters)

Jaishankar held talks with Blinken shortly after his meeting with Lavrov on the margins of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting hosted in Bali by Indonesia, the current chair of the bloc of the world’s 20 largest economies. The impact of the Ukraine crisis, especially its fallout on food and fuel prices, was also a key part of discussions in the G20 meet.

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Blinken said in a tweet that he and Jaishankar discussed ways to strengthen the India-US partnership and “collective efforts to address the implications of Russia’s war against Ukraine”. Jaishankar tweeted they discussed global and regional issues, and added: “Our relationship today allows us to approach a range of challenges with greater understanding and openness.”

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement that the two leaders discussed “collective efforts to mitigate the global implications of Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine”. Blinken welcomed India’s decision to join the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity and said he looked forward to India’s leadership of G20 in 2023.

Jaishankar said in another tweet that he and Lavrov discussed bilateral matters and exchanged views on “contemporary regional and international issues including the Ukraine conflict and Afghanistan”.

A statement from Russia’s foreign ministry said Lavrov and Jaishankar had a brief meeting in which they discussed “priority issues” on the bilateral agenda, and “topical international and regional problems, including in light of the situation in Ukraine”. They agreed to expand Russian-Indian contacts at all levels.

India has refrained from publicly censuring Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, and has maintained that the hostilities should end so that a solution can be found through dialogue and diplomacy. India has also dismissed calls from the US and its Western partners not to accelerate the purchases of discounted Russian commodities, including oil, and said all such decisions will be made in line with the country’s national security interests.

The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Bali was dominated by the Ukraine war and its impact on food and energy security, and these issues were also discussed in almost all bilateral meetings, Indonesia’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi said after the talks concluded.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the meeting that 1.2 billion people are severely exposed to rising food and energy prices and tightening financial conditions, and the food crisis was “not caused by any sanctions” but by Russia “invading the world’s breadbasket and turning the shipping lanes of the Black Sea into a war zone”.

Borrell contended that Russia is blocking millions of tonnes of grains in Ukrainian storage facilities and “using food as a weapon of war” against the world’s most vulnerable countries. “We work on various strands of action, but the easiest solution remains with one man: President [Vladimir] Putin, who should stop this senseless war to avoid a global food and energy calamity,” he tweeted.

Speaking after the G20 meeting, Lavrov told reporters that ministers from Western states had resorted to “frenzied criticism” of Russia instead of focusing on global economic issues.

Jaishankar also held bilateral meetings with his new French counterpart Catherine Colonna and discussed ways to realise the full possibilities of the bilateral relationship and challenges facing the world. Colonna said the two countries have an exceptional strategic partnership and will strengthen their relations, including in the Indo-Pacific.

He held separate meetings with Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra, and South Korean foreign minister Park Jin.

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