Secretary of State John Kerry placed a telephone call on Tuesday to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss North Korea's recent nuclear test. But Kerry failed to make contact with the Russian foreign Minister. Lavrov, who is currently visiting Africa, has thus far, left the call unanswered.
However, this is not the first time that the Obama/Russia reset button has prompted such a congenial and warm snub from Mr. Lavrov.
In January of 2012, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to contact Mr. Lavrov - while he was on a visit Australia - to discuss a UN resolution on Syria. CNN reported at the time that Clinton had been trying for two days to reach her Russian counterpart. But Mr. Lavrov was apparently unavailable, and did not return the call. A Russian news media outlet explained at the time that Mr. Lavrov "was busy negotiating with his Australian partners." Heh.... Russia has, thus far, blocked three U.N. Security Council resolutions on Syria.
On Friday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed that Lavrov still had not returned Mr. Kerry's telephone call. Nuland went on to say that if the Russians "are too busy or otherwise engaged, the offer stands, and we'll continue to do other diplomacy.” Heh....
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