US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Friday that Russia showed no signs of changing course in its war against Ukraine, after foreign ministers from more than 20 countries, including the US and Russia, met in the Indonesian capital for an annual meeting. The ASEAN organization, focused on security issues, reports Reuters.
Top diplomats from China, the United States and Russia were among those who arrived in Jakarta for the ASEAN Regional Forum, an organization of Southeast Asian nations where the broad agenda is usually diverted by geopolitical crises, Reuters said, citing News.ro.
Speaking to reporters after the talks, Blinken said there was no indication that Russia was ready to engage in meaningful diplomacy over the war in Ukraine. “We haven’t heard anything from Foreign Minister Lavrov that would indicate any change of direction on what Russia is doing in Ukraine,” Blinken said, adding that Russia’s focus at the meeting was to blame the United States for everything , which concerns the country’s problems. world.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, for his part, that Lavrov “aggressively” rejected the call to Moscow to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Lavrov said the war would not end until the West “gives up its plans to maintain its dominance,” including its “obsessive desire” to strategically defeat Russia.
Lavrov had no intention of contacting his American counterpart in Jakarta, his spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Instead, Lavrov met with China’s highest-ranking diplomat, Wang Yi. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two sides will “strengthen their communication and strategic coordination.”
Separately, Wang Yi also met with Anthony Blinken.
Other issues that dominated discussions in Indonesia included North Korea’s missile launches, the US-China rivalry and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that the forum agreed to “strengthen preventive diplomacy.”
___
- Follow the latest events of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HotNews.ro
Source: Hot News
James Springer is a renowned author and opinion writer, known for his bold and thought-provoking articles on a wide range of topics. He currently works as a writer at 247 news reel, where he uses his unique voice and sharp wit to offer fresh perspectives on current events. His articles are widely read and shared and has earned him a reputation as a talented and insightful writer.