CIA Director William Burns met with the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) in Ankara, Turkey, on Monday, marking the highest-level face-to-face meeting between US and Russian officials since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
The unannounced meeting was first revealed by media reports and later confirmed by the Kremlin, which said the talks between Burns and SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin were requested by Washington.
The White House said that the meeting was not an attempt to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, but was focused on reducing the risk of nuclear escalation and the detention of US citizens in Russia.
“He is not conducting negotiations of any kind. He is not discussing settlement of the war in Ukraine,” a White House spokesperson told Reuters. “He is conveying a message on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, and the risks of escalation to strategic stability … He will also raise the cases of unjustly detained US citizens.”
The spokesperson repeated the Biden administration’s position that nothing will be negotiated about Ukraine “without Ukraine.” But there does appear to be a shift in the administration’s view on diplomacy, as up until very recently, there was no sign that any talks were being held between the US and Russia.
Recently it has been confirmed that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held talks with high-level Russian officials, and the US and Russia plan to resume talks on New START, the last nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has come out in favor of negotiations to end the war, although other high-level US officials oppose his push for diplomacy, including Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Burns’ last known high-level meeting with Russian officials took place in November 2021, when he was sent to Moscow to warn that the US was watching Russian troop movements in the region. Earlier in his career, Burns served as the US ambassador to Russia and had warned in 2008 that NATO expansion in the region would likely lead to war.
In a 2008 cable released by WikiLeaks, Burns wrote: “Ukraine and Georgia’s NATO aspirations not only touch a raw nerve in Russia, they engender serious concerns about the consequences for stability in the region. Not only does Russia perceive encirclement, and efforts to undermine Russia’s influence in the region, but it also fears unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences which would seriously affect Russian security interests. Experts tell us that Russia is particularly worried that the strong divisions in Ukraine over NATO membership, with much of the ethnic-Russian community against membership, could lead to a major split, involving violence or at worst, civil war. In that eventuality, Russia would have to decide whether to intervene; a decision Russia does not want to have to face.”
As Alexis Mercouris says on YouTube, it’s inconceivable that the CIA chief would meet with Russia without discussing Ukraine. But they don’t want to say that, so they say nuclear weapons.
“We don’t want you to use nuclear weapons!”
“Gee, good thing you called a meeting to say that, which no one knew before. Never mind that we’ve never said we’d use nukes, that’s all from your side. Important meeting.”
…………..
“nothing will be negotiated about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
Hilarious. Biden pays for Zelensky and his entire government, AND the entire parliament – the parties not banned by the dictator – with U.S. tax money. The entire war is funded and armed by Washington. And it was BIDEN that told Zelensky NOT to negotiate with Russia in March. Via the servant Johnson. Because Biden needed the war.
Since then the clown Zelensky has issued a fatwa against negotiating with Russia as long as Putin is the elected president, and he has declared that all of Russian Crimea and Donbass must be re-occupied by Kiev. But recently he has signaled that his regime can talk to Russia. Clearly because Washington has demanded it. And suddenly those clown-world demands aren’t mentioned as preconditions for talks.
But yes, let’s pretend Zelensky is acting on his own.
An authentic armistice tentative would necessarily be done back-channel. So it had nothing to do with negotiations to end conflict in Ukraine. And the stated purpose is patently unserious. Perhaps there are dead “sheep-dipped” special ops need retrieved, … or just blowing smoke, thickening the fog of war.
blowing smoke me thinks …
Then why are they meeting, to discuss Tiffany’s wedding?
“The White House said that the meeting was not an attempt to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, but was focused on reducing the risk of nuclear escalation and the detention of US citizens in Russia.”
Jesus, is the white that worried about the prospect of peace? The mere mention sends them off into a tizzy.
why would they send a CIA to negotiate and not the state dept.
and why the very top boss of the CIA and not some junior director.
Who would you send? Kamala Harris?
High level talks?… It’s a new era of diplomacy. Smoke ‘um if you’ve got ‘um… I think this could go a long way towards reducing tensions…. On a more serious note… Talking is good and absolutely necessary to avoid possible escalation.
Planning a peaceful transfer of power.
We all established that,America is the culprit whatever shit happens in the world.
What the world can do about it, is the Question ⁉️.