WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The new U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, called for the release of Americans detained in Russia during a wide-ranging call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday that also encompassed nuclear arms control and China.
According to a statement from State Department spokesman Ned Price, the two officials also discussed the recent Solarwinds hack of U.S. government systems and the poisoning of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Blinken took on the role of top U.S. diplomat last week, as the country’s approach to Russia is expected to radically change under President Joe Biden from the friendly attitude embraced by former President Donald Trump’s administration.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Lisa Lambert; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
