According to allegations in Russian media, Turkey is hosting covert US-Russian talks. The Kremlin refused to confirm or refute the report.
According to the business newspaper Kommersant, the unannounced meeting will take place on Monday in the Turkish capital of Ankara. According to our source, Moscow is represented by Sergey Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR, but did not provide any further specifics.
When asked about the alleged negotiations, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, “I cannot confirm or reject anything.”
Earlier this month, Western media reported on undeclared contacts between top Russian and US officials. According to the Wall Street Journal, US national-security adviser Jake Sullivan has met with Yury Ushakov, a senior foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Nikolay Patrushev, Sullivan’s Russian counterpart.
The White House did not dispute the meetings, with spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre telling reporters that the contacts were about “risk mitigation.” Meanwhile, Peskov told the Wall Street Journal at the time that the British and American journalists were notorious for publishing “hoaxes.”
During the Ukraine conflict, Turkey emerged as a key mediator. It held Russia-Ukraine discussions in late March, during which the two parties made great progress toward reaching a peace accord.
When then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Kiev in April, the discussions were apparently derailed. According to Ukrainian media, he warned President Vladimir Zelensky that the planned security agreement being discussed with Russia would not be supported by Western nations.
Ankara also assisted the UN in launching the Black Sea Initiative, which permits Ukraine to export grain via commercial ships. The pact, inked in July, will expire on Friday. Moscow has indicated repeatedly that it may not agree to a renewal unless the UN fulfills its pledge to promote the sale of Russian food and fertilizers, which was part of the accord.
