{"id":55281,"date":"2021-05-18T22:41:03","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T22:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:47:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:47:00","slug":"us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/","title":{"rendered":"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">REYKJAVIK, Iceland \u2014 Top diplomats from the United States and Russia are set to square off this week in Iceland for their first face-to-face encounter that comes as ties between the nations have deteriorated sharply in recent months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia\u2019s longtime Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to talk Wednesday on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik, a city with deep history in U.S.-Russian relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even before the talks \u2014 that are ostensibly to prepare for a summit between President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin next month \u2014 the two diplomats laid down near diametrically opposed positions for the meeting, previewing what is likely to be a difficult and contentious exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This follows a spate of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions as U.S.-Russian relations threaten a return to Cold War lows. The nuclear powers are at odds on myriad issues including Ukraine, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/05\/18\/russias-northernmost-base-projects-its-power-across-arctic\/\" target=\"_blank\">the Arctic<\/a>, Russia\u2019s treatment of opposition figure Alexey Navalny and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/cyber\/2020\/12\/14\/reported-russian-hack-of-us-systems-has-implications-for-dod-network-security-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\"> accusations of cybermalfeasance<\/a>, including claims that Russia-based hackers were responsible for a ransomware attack on a key U.S. pipeline. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/russias-northernmost-base-projects-its-power-across-arctic\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21137725971117.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Russia\u2019s northernmost base projects its power across Arctic<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Russian base was built using new construction technologies as part of Kremlin efforts to bolster the military amid spiraling tensions with the West following Russia&#039;s 2014 annexation of Ukraine&#039;s Crimean Peninsula.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt would be our preference to have a more stable and more predictable relationship with Russia,\u201d Blinken said on Tuesday. \u201cAt the same time, we\u2019ve been very clear that if Russia chooses to take reckless or aggressive actions that target our interests or those of our allies and partners, we\u2019ll respond. Not for purposes of seeking conflict or escalating but because such challenges cannot be allowed to go forward with impunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blinken also tweeted Tuesday U.S. condemnation of Russia\u2019s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. \u201cWe condemn Russia\u2019s abuses in Crimea, especially on May 18 as we reflect on the 77th anniversary of Stalin\u2019s deportation of countless Crimean Tatars from their native peninsula,\u201d he posted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138373228768.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138373228768.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138373228768.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138373228768.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138373228768.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138373228768.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, second right, sits opposite U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second left, during at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland, May 18, 2021.  (Saul Loeb\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps anticipating Blinken\u2019s position, Lavrov had offered a prebuttal at a news conference Monday in Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cApparently, a (U.S.) decision was made to promote stable, predictable relations with Russia,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, if this includes constant and predictable sanctions, that\u2019s not what we need. Our attitude toward the U.S. includes the hope that normalized relations will be based on specific actions rather than words, of which, we have heard too many.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blinken said his meeting with Lavrov would be an important opportunity to test the proposition that the U.S. and Russia can work collaboratively on certain issues, like climate change, the Mideast, Iran and North Korea, despite bitter disagreements on others. The meeting comes as much of the world is focused on the Israel-Palestinian war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blinken noted that despite the vitriol, the U.S. and Russia had agreed early in the Biden administration to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/02\/04\/us-extends-sole-remaining-nuclear-arms-treaty-with-russia\/\" target=\"_blank\">five-year extension of a key arms control pact <\/a>that President Donald Trump had declined to renew before he left office. Trump left a decidedly mixed legacy on Russia that included a personal friendly relationship with Putin, while his administration still imposed sanctions and other punitive measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/02\/04\/us-extends-sole-remaining-nuclear-arms-treaty-with-russia\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21026705871540.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US extends sole remaining nuclear arms treaty with Russia<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the U.S. would use the five years of the New START treaty&#039;s renewal to pursue limits on all of Russia&#039;s nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lavrov said Moscow would determine its own \u201cred lines\u201d and emphasized that in the sphere of strategic stability, it\u2019s going to insist on putting both offensive and defensive, nuclear and non-nuclear weapons on the negotiation table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another, more immediate area of disagreement in Reykjavik, the site of the famous 1986 summit between President Ronald Reagan and Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev, is the Arctic, where Russia has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/08\/30\/russian-navy-conducts-major-maneuvers-near-alaska\/\" target=\"_blank\">expanding its military presence<\/a> and pursuing policies to expand its influence to the alarm of the Americans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blinken rejected Russian calls to resume a military component of the Arctic Council and expressed concerns about Russia\u2019s increasing military activity in the region known as the \u201chigh North.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have concerns about some of the recent military activities in the Arctic,\u201d he said. \u201cThat increases the dangers of accidents and miscalculations and undermines the shared goal of a peaceful and sustainable future for the region. So we have to be vigilant about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blinken also took Russia to task for proposing new navigational regulations for the region and decried Lavrov for comments in which he dismissed such criticism because the Arctic \u201cis our territory, our land.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have to proceed all of us, including Russia, based on the rules, based on norms, based on the commitments that we\u2019ve each made and also avoid statements that undercut those,\u201d Blinken said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his comments Monday, Lavrov noted the grievances about Russia\u2019s military activities in the Arctic. \u201cIt has long been common knowledge that this is our territory, our land. We are in charge of keeping the Arctic coast safe. Everything Russia is doing there is absolutely legal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moscow and Washington are also embroiled in a bitter dispute over the status of their respective embassies and consulates after the diplomatic expulsions. Russia has given the U.S. until Aug. 1 to get rid of all non-American staff at its diplomatic missions, something the U.S. says will make it nearly impossible for its facilities to function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this story.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia\u2019s longtime Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to talk Wednesday on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":120918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":88,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"4":{"categories":["daily-news-roundup","newsletters","news","flashpoints","pentagon-congress"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["daily-news-roundup","newsletters","news","flashpoints","pentagon-congress"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["daily-news-roundup","newsletters","news","flashpoints","pentagon-congress"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["daily-news-roundup","newsletters","news","flashpoints","pentagon-congress"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"}}},"categories":[10,29,117,15,86,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[551],"class_list":["post-55281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"XQNP64UZHRFQDL5HS4HP6LDI2Q","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia\u2019s longtime Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to talk Wednesday on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia\u2019s longtime Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to talk Wednesday on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-05-18T22:41:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:47:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Matthew Lee, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Matthew Lee, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-18T22:41:03+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:47:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 890,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21138450992710.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                \"Your Military\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland - Military Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21138450992710.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-18T22:41:03+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:47:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia\u2019s longtime Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to talk Wednesday on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21138450992710.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21138450992710.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/18\\\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Military\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-military\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Military Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News About Your Military | Military Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Military Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/military-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/military-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Military Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland - Military Times","description":"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia\u2019s longtime Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to talk Wednesday on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland","og_description":"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia\u2019s longtime Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to talk Wednesday on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/","og_site_name":"Military Times","article_published_time":"2021-05-18T22:41:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T06:47:00+00:00","author":"Matthew Lee, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Matthew Lee, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland","datePublished":"2021-05-18T22:41:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:47:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/"},"wordCount":890,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138450992710.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Flashpoints","Home","Middle Column","News","Pentagon &amp; Congress","Your Military"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/","name":"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland - Military Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138450992710.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-05-18T22:41:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:47:00+00:00","description":"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia\u2019s longtime Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to talk Wednesday on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138450992710.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138450992710.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/18\/us-russia-showdown-looms-as-top-diplomats-meet-in-iceland\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Your Military","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/","ad_zone":"your-military"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"US-Russia showdown looms as top diplomats meet in Iceland"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","name":"Military Times","description":"Independent News About Your Military | Military Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization","name":"Military Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/military-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/military-logo-white.png","caption":"Military Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21138450992710.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Military Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55281"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149443,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55281\/revisions\/149443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55281"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=55281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}