Says he will not be meeting with the Russian representative.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed Wednesday for a meeting with foreign ministers from the Group of 20 largest countries this week in Bali, Indonesia.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the Secretary will not meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov who will also be at the meeting. He said the “time is not right” for a bilateral engagement between the two top diplomats because of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Mr. Price continued, “We would like to have the Russians give us a reason to meet on a bilateral basis with them, with Foreign Minister Lavrov.”
Secretary Blinken will, however, hold a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in what the State Department called a meeting to “establish and reinforce guardrails” to avoid outright conflict between the U.S. and China.
“Our top priority in the Secretary’s meeting with Counselor Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to underscore our commitment to intense diplomacy and maintaining open lines of communication with the People’s Republic of China,” Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Kritenbrink stated in a briefing on Tuesday.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Blinken to seek God’s wisdom as he meets with foreign ministers and heads of state.
- For the president and his administration as they craft foreign policy and respond to hostile nations.
- For Assistant Secretary Daniel Kritenbrink as he oversees the office of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Sources: The Hill, Voice of America, State Department
