This week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet on the sidelines of a G20 ministerial session in Bali.
Blinken will caution China against backing Russia's invasion of Ukraine during his discussions with Wang, officials said, and will use the G20 ministerial conference to urge nations to exert pressure on Moscow to support attempts to reopen sea routes shut by the conflict.
Blinken will not meet his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov, who will also be in attendance, officials said Tuesday.
Daniel Kritenbrink, the U.S. envoy for East Asia, said that he anticipated a "frank" exchange regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, during Blinken's expected Saturday talks with Wang.
"This will be another chance to transmit our expectations regarding what we want China to do and not do in relation to the Ukraine crisis," he said.
Analysts anticipate a controversial G20 discussion in which Washington and its allies blame Moscow for global food shortages since its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, while Russia, also a major exporter, blames U.S.-led sanctions.
According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, Blinken is not expected to meet with the Russian foreign minister, Lavrov.
"We would like the Russians to give us a reason to meet with them bilaterally," he said.
The only thing emanating from Moscow, however, has been increased brutality and hostility towards the Ukrainian people and nation, reports said.
Blinken will discuss energy security and a United Nations proposal to reintroduce Ukrainian and Russian food and fertilizer to global markets at the G20 summit, according to Ramin Toloui, assistant secretary of state for economic and corporate affairs.
"G20 countries should hold Russia accountable and insist that it support ongoing UN efforts to unblock grain delivery from maritime lanes," he told reporters.
"Whether this occurs at the G20 level or at the level of individual G20 countries, Secretary Blinken will emphasize this issue," he added.
Ukraine, which accuses Russia of obstructing the passage of its ships, announced this week that it is holding discussions with Turkey and the United Nations to seek export assurances for grain.
Russia denies obstructing any grain flow and blames Ukraine for the lack of movement, citing mining activity at Ukraine's ports as a contributing factor.
The G20 ministerial conference, which runs from Wednesday to Thursday, precedes a summit of world leaders in Indonesia in November.
