US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met in the Latvian capital of Riga on Monday to discuss Israel’s diplomatic initiative to end Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine. The pair would also discuss the talks in Vienna on a possible return to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, Lapid said in remarks at the start of the meeting with reporters present. The meeting comes after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held surprise talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week at Ukraine’s request. “Israel is a partner in the global …