Ex-US officials ‘held secret talks’ with Kremlin associates, Foreign Minister Lavrov on Ukraine
A group of high-ranking former U.S. national security officials conducted clandestine talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other well-known Russians associated with the Kremlin, U.S. news outlet NBC News reported on July 6.
The discussions were reportedly aimed at establishing a foundation for future negotiations on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“The purpose of the negotiations was to keep channels of communication with Russia open where possible and identify areas for potential future negotiations, compromises, and diplomacy to end the war,” the NBC report said.
The talks were conducted with the knowledge of the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, but not at its direction. The former officials who participated in the meeting with Lavrov later informed the White House National Security Council about the discussions.
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One of the meetings took place in April in New York, where Lavrov met with members of the group, including Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, Charles Kupchan, an expert on Europe, and Thomas Graham, a Russia expert.
The agenda of this meeting included discussions on the fate of territories held by Russia that Ukraine may not be able to liberate, as well as the search for diplomatic solutions acceptable to both sides.
It is reported that “second-level diplomacy” discussions involved some former Pentagon officials from the U.S. side, including Mary Beth Long, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, who has extensive experience in NATO-related matters.
Sources claim that at least one former U.S. official traveled to Russia to participate in talks.
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On the Russian side, the discussions involved scholars, heads of major analytical centers and research institutes, and other representatives of the Russian foreign policy sphere who have connections with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin or are in regular contact with decision-makers in the Kremlin.
NBC News did not disclose the names of the Russian participants due to security concerns.
The Office of the President of Ukraine declined to comment on specific reports based on unnamed sources but reiterated their unchanged position that Ukraine’s fate cannot be decided without Ukraine.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has dismissed thereport as fake.
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