Russian FM to meet Blinken if there is willingness from Washington: Russian UN envoy

UNITED NATIONS -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is ready to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken later this month when he travels to New York, if there is willingness from Washington, said Russian envoy here on Monday.

Lavrov will be in New York to preside over two Security Council meetings on April 24 and 25, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, told a press conference on his country's assumption of the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of April.

Nebenzia said such a meeting depends on the availability of Blinken and his willingness to meet with his Russian counterpart when asked whether Lavrov will meet Blinken.

"If such a meeting is requested, I presume that Minister Lavrov will be ready to meet Secretary Blinken. But for that, we need at least one condition, a willingness to meet," he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet with Lavrov when he is in town, said Guterres' spokesman on Monday.

"I have no doubt that when Mr. Lavrov is here, he and the secretary-general will have a sit-down," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman. "The sit-down would be about going through the long list of issues and agenda items between the Russian Federation and the United Nations Secretariat."