Blinken and Lavrov hold first high-level meeting of Biden’s presidency as US-Russia tensions simmer

“It’s also no secret that we have our differences,” Blinken said at the top of the meeting, after he and Lavrov had greeted each other warmly.

“When it comes to those differences, as President Biden has also shared with President Putin, if Russia acts aggressively against us, our partners, our allies, we’ll respond,” Blinken said as he and Lavrov sat facing each other at a long rectangular table flanked by their delegations. “And President Biden has demonstrated that in both word and deed, not for purposes of escalation, not to seek conflict, but to defend our interests.”

But the top US…