Blinken Attends East Asia Summits in Laos, Says Heard 'Nothing New' From Lavrov

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday he heard "nothing new" from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as they both found themselves in the same room attending the East Asia Summit in Laos, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports from Vientiane.

"I listened to him. I can't speak to whether he listened to me, but I didn't hear anything new," Blinken told a press conference in Vientiane referring to Lavrov, when responding to TURAN's questions, adding that they did not interact directly.

".... I was in the room when he made his intervention on behalf of Russia. He was in the room when I made my intervention on behalf of the United States. So I think it's safe to say that we heard each other. I didn't hear anything new, unfortunately, about the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine," the Secretary said.

Blinken was traveling in Ind-Pasific this week, for the 20th time in office, for a gathering of ASEAN countries, and Ukraine, among other topics, was among the top of his agenda, TURAN's correspondent, who has been accompanying the Secretary during trip, notes.

"I think country after country in the room, without speaking for them, made clear that this aggression needs to end. And it needs to end not only because it's an aggression against the Ukrainian people, it's an aggression against the principles that are at the heart of the international system and that are so necessary to try to help us preserve peace and stability, including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence," Blinken said.

He went on to add "It's striking that so many countries that are half a world away in the Indo-Pacific care deeply about what's going on in Ukraine, and the reason again, is because they know that if any country is allowed to act with impunity and to commit acts of aggression, that's a signal to would-be aggressors everywhere that it's open season, and that's going to be bad for everyone"

This year's ASEAN forum was also focused on the civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea, two key challenges that have tested the bloc's credibility. Blinken, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and other regional leader were all in attendance.

Blinken said, the U.S. would continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific. Beijing this week denounced remarks by Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te who vowed to "resist annexation" by China, which claims the self-governing democracy.

Leaders at the summit also discussed the situation in Myanmar, whose military junta sent a representative to the ASEAN meeting for the first time in more than three years. Blinken has urged no let-up in pressure until the junta, which seized power in 2021, moves on key concerns such as freeing political prisoners.

Blinken’s trip to Asia this week has also been one of his last opportunities to convey Washington’s regional interest in person ahead of the November presidential election in the U.S.

During his press conference in Laos, TURAN also asked the top U.S. diplomat about the latest media reports suggesting that former President Donald Trump had kept in touch with Putin and spoke with him at least seven times since leaving office.

"All I can tell you is this, the administration was not aware of any purported calls, and so I really can't either confirm or comment," Blinken said in response.