Source: Global Network
[Global Network Report Reporter Zhang Jiangping] American women's basketball player Brittany Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia on drug-related charges on the 4th local time. According to reports from Reuters, RIA Novosti, Russian Business Consulting Daily and other media, John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator of the White House National Security Council, said on the 34th that if given the opportunity, US Secretary of State Blinken would "Taking Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov 's buttons" to talk about this incident. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova later published two posts on social platforms to respond. She sarcastically said, "Have you ever tried pulling on your tie? If it doesn't work, you still have pants." Lavrov also said on the 5th that he and Blinken were very close to each other when he attended diplomatic events in Cambodia, and all his buttons were "fine."
According to reports from Reuters and Russia's "Tsargrad" TV station, Kirby, in an interview with Microsoft-National Broadcasting Corporation (MSNBC) on the 4th, talked about the possibility of the Russian and American foreign ministers talking about the Griner case while attending diplomatic events in Cambodia. He said that Blinken has been actively involved in handling this matter from the beginning. "I have no doubt that if given the opportunity, he would grab Lavrov's buttons (to talk about it)."
According to reports from the Russian "Vesti.ru" website and RIA Novosti, Lavrov responded to the matter when he attended a press conference after attending a diplomatic event in Cambodia on the 5th. He said, "Maybe Kirby forgot to convey it to Blinken, because today we were sitting very close to each other, and there was one person between us when we sat at the discussion table... All my buttons are fine."
Zakharova posted a reply on Telegram on the 4th and 5th respectively. In a post published on the 4th, Zakharova first repeated Kirby's above-mentioned statement, and then commented, "Have you ever tried pulling on a tie? If it doesn't work, you can also wear pants. Our diplomacy academy should have a dedicated One course – ‘America’s button-punching diplomacy without a lifeline’”.
In a post published on the 5th, Zakharova posted two photos of Lavrov attending diplomatic events in Cambodia. One of the photos showed Blinken and Lavrov sitting very close.
Zakharova wrote in the accompanying text of these two pictures: "The Russian delegation participated in the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Blinken was sitting two meters away from Lavrov. Everyone believed that he could reach Sergey. · Viktorovich (Lavrov) buttons? Please don't show this photo to White House . First, they will not be happy to see Lavrov being 'isolated' like this. Second, they have to. Explaining the Buttons – Answering Why the US Secretary of State Didn’t Pull Lavrov’s Buttons”
.
