Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Friday with Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov in a "frank and direct dialog" in regards to the "substantial proposal" that the U.S. has put ahead in an try and safe the discharge of WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Blinken stated Friday throughout a press convention.
That is the primary time the U.S. and Russian counterparts have spoken for the reason that begin of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Blinken stated he pressed the Kremlin to simply accept the proposal. "I am not going to characterize his response, and I am unable to offer you an evaluation of whether or not I feel issues are any kind of possible, however it was essential that he heard instantly from me on that."
Russia has had the proposal "for some weeks now." He didn't verify the id of any Russians who could be swapped for Griner and Whelan, however CNN has reported that Russia needs convicted Russian arms seller Viktor Bout. On Wednesday, Blinken declined to touch upon the experiences.
Griner was arrested on Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport, when customs officers stated they discovered vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her baggage. Whelan has been in Russian custody since December 2018, when he visited Russia for a pal's wedding ceremony. He was convicted in a Russian court docket of espionage costs and sentenced to 16 years in jail in 2020.
Blinken additionally urged Russia to satisfy its commitments on the Ukraine grain deal, including that U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink was in Odessa Friday morning, the place "she confirmed the ships are loaded and able to go." He stated it was essential that Lavrov hear it from him that the world expects "that Russia would transfer ahead with its commitments and would cease, finish the blockade and permit the ships to sail."
Lower than 24 hours after Russia struck an extended awaited cope with Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations on permitting grain shipments to depart Ukrainian ports, Russian missiles hit Odessa, a port metropolis on the Black Sea.
"In case of non-fulfillment, Russia will bear full accountability for a worldwide meals disaster," Ukrainian Overseas Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko stated.
There was no indication that Lavrov was keen to speak with Blinken about ending the six-month battle. Blinken stated he noticed "no opening — willingness on the a part of Russia to interact meaningfully on ending the aggression."