Russian diplomacy rules out any meeting between Sergei Lavrov and his American counterpart Antony Blinken at the UN

A categorical no. On Friday, September 20, Russian diplomacy dismissed the possibility of a meeting between Sergei Lavrov and his American counterpart Antony Blinken during the UN General Assembly to be held on Sunday in New York. “No, obviously, what can we talk about with him? ? “, Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Foreign Minister, responded curtly when asked by the Russian news agency Ria Novosti about the possibility of a meeting with Antony Blinken.

More than 130 heads of state and government are expected to arrive in New York on Sunday for the annual UN summit, at a time when the international community seems unable to resolve conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan. Relations between Russia and the United States are at a level of tension not seen since the Cold War and have deteriorated sharply since the Kremlin’s large-scale attack on Ukraine, massively supported by the United States.

In addition to Ukraine, Moscow and Washington are at odds on many international issues, particularly in Asia, where Russia has accelerated a major rapprochement with China, North Korea and Iran.