Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, met on Monday with his American counterpart, CIA Director, William Burns. This was the first high-profile Russian-US contact since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine. The Biden administration insists that the two officials focused on reducing nuclear escalation risks and an exchange of prisoners, rather than on ways of resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Kommersant was the first to report on Monday that Naryshkin had set off for talks with the US in Ankara, citing sources. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov neither confirmed, nor denied that report. Officials in Turkey did not comment on it either. But when the sun set in Moscow, the details of the meeting started to emerge in the US media. CNN specified that Naryshkin and Burns had discussed nuclear risks and a potential prisoner swap, while the New York Times added that Washington had informed Kiev about arrangements for the meeting. Reuters quoted an unnamed US National Security Council official as saying that Washington was committed to not holding any talks on Ukraine without the Ukrainians. Later, Peskov confirmed to TASS that the Russian-US discussions had taken place in Ankara, indeed.
UN chief Antonio Guterres welcomed on Monday the Russian-US meeting in Ankara, saying it was "very positive." However, the topic of Ukraine was not seemingly discussed there, indeed - at least, there were no reports or even leaks about it. Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported, citing sources, that the United States had been attempting to coax Ukraine into talks with Russia, since those in the West who fear the conflict might escalate further had not accepted the refusal by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Back a few days ago, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukraine’s top diplomat Dmitry Kuleba happened to simultaneously visit the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh which hosted the ASEAN and East Asia summits. A Russian diplomat told Kommersant that no encounter between the two was considered though. A source close to Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, who was Russia’s chief negotiator at talks with Kiev officials in the spring, replied in the negative when asked by a Kommersant reporter whether this dialogue was set to resume.
