US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a telephone conversation, the first since February 24 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reports Voice of America.
The conversation was confirmed by both parties.
Blinken said he spoke with the Russian foreign minister regarding the release of two American citizens detained in Russia.
"I spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. I insisted that the Kremlin accept the proposal for the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Greiner," Blinken said without elaborating.
Blinken did not precisely answer the question to what extent he was convinced that Greiner and Whelan could be released after the talks with the Russian foreign minister.
"I was talking about exactly what I announced - about our offer. I will not broadcast his answer," said Blinken.
The US Secretary of State reported that in the conversation with Lavorvi, he also spoke about the expansion of Russia's war goals in Ukraine, that is, the conquest of as much of the territory of that country as possible, noting that this will not be accepted.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Ukraine was also a topic of conversation between the two officials, in addition to the exchange of prisoners.
Lavrov, as stated, called on Blinken to return to the regime of so-called quiet diplomacy in connection with the exchange of prisoners - without speculation and imposition.
The statement stated that Lavrov said that all the goals of the so-called special Russian military operation in Ukraine will be achieved.
Also, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that there was talk of bilateral relations between the two sides, which, as indicated, needed urgent normalization.
Before the conversation
The Russian foreign minister said during the day that Moscow will soon propose a date for a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, after Blinken said he wanted to discuss the exchange of prisoners in Russian and American prisons.
Blinken said Wednesday that Washington had made a "significant offer" for the release of American basketball star Britney Greiner and former Marine Paul Whelan, both detained in Russia.
The source said Washington was willing to exchange convicted arms dealer Victor Bhutto, jailed in the United States, as part of such a deal.
Blinken and Lavrov have not spoken since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Families of US prisoners have been mounting pressure on President Joseph Biden, most recently in the case of two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Greiner, who was arrested on drug charges at a Moscow airport on February 17.
Lavrov said at a press conference that talks on the exchange of prisoners have been ongoing since a summit in Geneva last year where Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joseph Biden agreed to appoint officials to look into the matter.
He said his ministry was not involved but "will still listen to what he (Blinken) has to say".
Speaking during a trip to Uzbekistan, Lavrov said he would speak with Blinken when he returned to his office.
"It's clear that it probably won't work today. But in the coming days, we will offer our American colleagues a convenient date," he said.
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