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Posted on 07/29/2022 2:12:11 AM PDT by Cathi
"Now he has a busy schedule with international contacts: the SCO Ministerial Council in Tashkent, bilateral meetings," said spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
“Foreign Minister Lavrov is in the midst of travel so I don’t have any update to provide in terms of when they may be able to connect,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
Price on Thursday suggested that Moscow has not meaningfully engaged on the (prisoner swap) proposal.
"The fact that, now several weeks later, we are where we are, I think you can read into that as being a reflection of the fact that this has not moved to the extent we would like," Price said.
CNN reported earlier Thursday that Biden administration officials are frustrated that Moscow has yet to respond in a meaningful way to the proposal. Officials told CNN that they felt Moscow would jump at the offer, but it is now almost August and they have not received a substantive response.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The Biden administration likes to say Russia has become isolated internationally because of its invasion of Ukraine. Yet Moscow’s top officials have hardly been cloistered in the Kremlin. And now, even the U.S. wants to talk.
President Vladimir Putin has been meeting with world leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is a NATO member. Meanwhile, his top diplomat, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is jetting around the world, smiling, shaking hands and posing for photos with foreign leaders — including some friends of the U.S.
And on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he wants to end months of top-level U.S. diplomatic estrangement with Lavrov to discuss the release of American detainees as well as issues related to Ukraine. The call has not been scheduled but is expected in coming days.
The handshakes and phone calls cast doubt on a core part of the U.S. strategy aimed at ending the Ukraine war: that diplomatic and economic isolation, along with battlefield setbacks, would ultimately force Russia to send its troops home.
“They are going to drag this out and try to humiliate us as much as they can,” said Ian Kelly, a retired career diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Georgia in the Obama and Trump administrations. “I don’t think it goes along with (the administration’s) overall policy.”
TASS: The United States sent a request to the Russian Federation about a telephone conversation between Lavrov and Blinken, but so far they cannot report on the timing of the conversation.
The US Secretary of State, during a conversation with the Russian Foreign Minister, wants to raise the issue of Russia’s possible plans for territories in Ukraine, the State Department said.
Lavrov will pay special attention to the request to speak with the US Secretary of State when time permits, Zakharova said.
Blinken is giving up Viktor bout for Druggie Griner. Russia is probably going to demand someone else too.
Lord of War movie getting a lot of PR these days
This news is not going to go over well in Ukraine. Hard to believe Zelensky would deliberately target his own AZOV (POW) soldiers.
Tonight, the Kyiv regime deliberately carried out a bloody provocation.
◽️The pre-trial detention center in the area of the settlement of Yelenovka, which contains Ukrainian military prisoners of war, including militants of the Azov formation, was hit by a missile attack from the American HIMARS multiple launch rocket system.
◽️40 were killed and 75 Ukrainian prisoners of war were wounded . In addition, eight employees of the isolation ward received injuries of varying severity.
◽️At present, a large number of Ukrainian servicemen voluntarily lay down their arms, knowing about the humane attitude towards prisoners of war on the Russian side.
◽️This egregious provocation was committed to intimidate Ukrainian servicemen and prevent them from being taken prisoner .
◽️The circumstances of this provocation are being investigated.
#Ministry of Defense #Russia #Ukraine @mod_russia
IL RUSSO 🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺
The Ukrainian armed forces tried to destroy the captured “Azov” by opening artillery fire on the barracks where they were kept.
The Nazis fired on the Yelenovskaya penal colony. The goal was the barracks where prisoners of war were kept. More than 100 militants were injured, many killed. Kiev has apparently decided to destroy the witnesses who have begun to speak.
Operation Z: Military Correspondents of the Russian Spring The Armed Forces of Ukraine opened fire on the barracks of the Yelenovka penal colony, where Azov prisoners were kept - 40 people were killed
According to the Deputy Minister of Information of the DPR Daniil Bezsonov, tonight the Ukrainians attacked the colony in Yelenovka, where Azov prisoners were kept who laid down their arms in Mariupol. Presumably, the shelling was carried out from American HIMARS weapons.
40 people died, 130 were injured. Services are now clearing the rubble, the number of victims may increase.
“The military-political leadership of Ukraine apparently decided to get rid of unnecessary ballast, ” said Daniil Bezsonov.
t.me/RVvoenkor
18 minutes ago
Ukrainian military accuses Russia of trying to cover up “torture and murder” of Ukrainian prisoners with strike at Olenivka prison
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Well, Ukraine just turned it around like they always have done. The media and the propagandists are just as guilty of murder as the Ukrainians are.
.
AZOV HIGHRANK OFFICER SAYS TORTURE OF RUSSIAN POW'S WAS ORDERED FROM THE TOP! 
HIMARS were used . Who has the HIMARS?
I don’t think there is any doubt about who did it. There is no reason Russia would blow up their own penal colony.
But, what I don’t get is why Zelensky did this. AZOV was furious that he didn’t send in reinforcements to rescue them from AVOSTAL. If I were him I would sleep with one eye open from now on. They will not let him get away with this.
Apparently he found the prospect of what they were revealing to the Russians (as shown in Karl’s video) and the benefit Russia would get from that becoming common knowledge more dangerous to him than the remaining AZOV forces will be. I think he made another poor decision.
ASB Military News
1:08
Graphic: Azov POW’s executed by Zelensky regime forces using American supplied MLRS. It appears most of them were asleep during the strike— which is not by chance, the time of the strike was chosen carefully to inflict as many casualties as possible. The prisoners have just started speaking against the crimes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine before the trial was about to take place.
Ukrainian propagandists are already saying Russia hit their own detention centres. — yes, Russia killed their own witnesses which they could use on national television to support their narrative at home & to detain and prosecute Ukrainian military officers. Logic level: Ukrop
Boy has this thread gone off track.
Russia is ignoring Resident Biden’s proposal for the prisoner swap. I thought it was a done deal, but apparently it was just a proposal. Biden is not getting any respect from Lavrov or Putin. They will consider the proposal when they have time... LOL
You aren’t going to see this on the news.
What is most interesting in that post I made about Blinken’s attempt to talk to Lavrov is that the State Department included discussing Ukraine’s territories with Lavrov in addition to the prisoner swap.
Sounds like an attempt to begin a negotiation.
“administration officials are frustrated that Moscow has yet to respond in a meaningful way to the proposal. Officials told CNN that they felt Moscow would jump at the offer, but it is now almost August and they have not received a substantive response.”
My Ex won’t return my calls either.
The triviality of the western press is stunning. Maybe, just maybe, the Russians think that at the moment, there’s bigger fish to fry. ‘We’ll get back to ya. How’s your gas holding out?’
“Do you have any idea how ______ busy I am?”
Blinken is leaving messages on Lavrov’s phone, begging him to call back. LOL
That’s embarrassing, and funny.
“Don’t call us, we’ll call you!”
If we’re going to try to isolate Russia, it makes sense for their Foreign Minister to spend his time working the field.
So, I guess, Britney is out of luck. Bummer for her.
After Blinken said he was set to hold the US’ first talks with Russia since the start of the war, Moscow says Lavrov is too busy “with a schedule full of real things” and will only talk to him later when he can find the time https://interfax.ru/russia/854334
Fragments of HIMARS missiles found at the site of the attack on the colony with Ukrainian prisoners of war in Yelenovka
Lavrov ain't got time for the kiddie table of diplomacy.
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