The new US administration has unveiled its approach to working with Russia, as the country’s top diplomat used a call with his counterparts in Moscow to set a more confrontational tone than the Kremlin might have hoped for.
American Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared details of the call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday in a post on Twitter. According to Blinken, the purpose of the conversation was to reiterate “our resolve to act firmly in defense of US interests in response to Russian actions.”
Spoke with Foreign Minister Lavrov today to reiterate our resolve to act firmly in defense of U.S. interests in response to Russian actions. As we continue to engage with Russia to advance American interests, we remain clear about the challenges that Russia poses.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 4, 2021
“As we continue to engage with Russia to advance American interests,” he said, “we remain clear about the challenges that Russia poses.”
Lavrov’s account following the discussions was more upbeat, however. He said the two had found common ground over the recently rescued New START atomic weapons control treaty. However, the foreign minister linked commitments to avoid nuclear war to previous agreements about not interfering in each other’s domestic affairs.
