India is hosting the G20 and the atmosphere is tense. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke briefly on the sidelines in an encounter that lasted less than ten minutes today. It was the first exchange between the two men since Putin invaded Ukraine.

A senior State Department official briefed reporters in a background call. Blinken hit on three topics with Lavrov in the quick meeting. He brought up Putin’s decision to suspend New START, and the detainment of American citizen Paul Whelan, and he stressed the continued commitment of the United States to Ukraine.

Blinken urged Russia to reverse Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to suspend New START, a key nuclear arms control treaty between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. Blinken noted that the treaty is in the interest of both countries as well as international security and that the world expects the nations to behave responsibly when it comes to nuclear security.

Blinken also reiterated the need for the Kremlin to release detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan. He noted that the U.S. had put a proposal on the table and said they should accept it.

Additionally, Blinken underscored continued support for Ukraine from the United States, including his proposals for a just and durable peace that respects the United Nations Charter and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the official said. Blinken stressed that Ukraine and the U.S. want Russia’s war to end on that basis, but that a similar determination from Moscow continues to be missing.

Blinken asked for a chance to make contact with Lavrov, according to a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry. The on-the-go meeting happened during the second session of the G20 today but there were no negotiations. The last time the two men met in person was last year in January in Geneva. Last July they had a phone call to discuss the proposal for the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner. We know that Griner was released and Whelan was not. Blinken told Lavrov that Zelensky makes the decisions about Ukraine. He said he and his team are committed to standing up for U.S. interests and channels of communication must remain open.

It doesn’t sound like Blinken’s approach is particularly aggressive or bold. There is nothing new mentioned in the spokesperson’s recap of the sideline meeting. Blinken asked for the chance to make contact with Lavrov and Lavrov gave him ten minutes. Lavrov was in control. Much like the Obama administration, the Biden administration leads from behind.

Blinken told Lavrov that the United States is committed to supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” That is music to Lavrov and Putin’s ears. There’s no pressure for Russia to change course at this point. The United States and other countries are spending their financial and military equipment resources in Ukraine. Russia’s economy has shown surprising resilience despite sanctions and a slowing of demand for Russian oil in Europe. Russia pivoted to selling it to Asia.

Putin’s war in Ukraine has heightened the tension among the members of the G20. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz clashed with Lavrov in what is being described as “an ill-tempered” meeting of the G20 in New Delhi. Scholz warned China against arming Russia with weapons. He told the German parliament, “My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to urge the withdrawal of Russian troops. And don’t deliver any weapons to the aggressor Russia.” He also defended Germany’s support for Ukraine. He said: “A dictated peace against the will of the victims is out of the question.”

China denies it will arm Russia. The Biden administration says the cooperation between China and Russia may soon include Russia receiving lethal arms from China.

The G20 talks have been dominated by angry exchanges over Putin’s war in Ukraine. Indian hosts say the disagreements mean there will be no joint statement. Blinken said the meeting has been marred by Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified war.” Lavrov accused the West of “blackmail and threats.” India hoped to focus on issues that affect developing nations. However, the differences over Ukraine couldn’t be reconciled. “We tried, but the gap between the countries was too much,” India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar said.

It sounds like not much is being worked out at the G20 meeting. Today’s sessions included the topics of food security, development cooperation, terrorism, and humanitarian assistance. These are the priorities of India. One former Indian diplomat said India would have to do something special to make delegates overlook their differences on Putin’s war on Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Jaishankar presented a chair’s summary after Thursday’s talks, meaning participants had been unable to reach a joint statement.

“There were issues and very frankly they were concerned with the Ukraine conflict. There were divergences,” he said, noting the “polarised views of some countries, we were not able to bridge on this occasion.”

India is in an awkward position. It is non-aligned with Putin’s war on Ukraine. It doesn’t criticize Russia. Russia is India’s biggest supplier of arms. And India usually abstains from voting on U.N. resolutions condemning the war in Ukraine, the most recent vote being last week at the U.N. General Assembly.

India has increased its oil imports from Russia. As long as India is so dependent on Russia, there’s little chance it will criticize Putin’s actions.