US, Russia in secret Ukraine talks - NBC News
A group of former senior U.S. national security officials have held secret talks with representatives of the aggressor state Russia, seen as close to the Kremlin, to lay the groundwork for potential talks to end the war in Ukraine. Sources familiar with the negotiation process told this to NBC News.
According to NBC News, four former and two current officials reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with members of the American group for several hours in April in New York. On the agenda of that meeting were some of the most pressing issues of the war in Ukraine, for example, the fate of the territory occupied by Russia, which Ukraine may never be able to liberate, and the search for a diplomatic path of settlement for the two sides of the war, the newspaper reports.
"Among the goals, they said, is to keep channels of communication with Russia open where possible and to feel out where there might be room for future negotiation, compromise and diplomacy over ending the war. The discussions have taken place with the knowledge of the Biden administration, but not at its direction, with the former officials involved in the Lavrov meeting briefing the White House National Security Council afterward about what transpired, two of the sources said,” it was reported.
NBC News notes that at the meeting with Lavrov were Richard Haass, a former diplomat and the outgoing president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Europe expert Charles Kupchan and Russia expert Thomas Graham, both former White House and State Department officials who are Council on Foreign Relations fellows.
On the American side, the discussions have involved some former Pentagon officials, including Mary Beth Long, a former U.S. assistant defense secretary with deep experience in NATO issues.
As part of the effort, at least one former U.S. official has traveled to Russia for discussions involving the Ukraine war.
According to the publication, aside from Lavrov on the Russian side, the discussions have involved academics, leaders from major think tanks or research institutes and others in the Russian foreign policy sphere perceived as having President Vladimir Putin’s ear or being in regular touch with Kremlin decision-makers.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on July 4, it became known that the United States sells Russia most of the components for the production of weapons and military equipment.
On June 3, the United States reported that they were ceasing to share with the terrorist country Russia data on nuclear weapons.
At the same time, the International Group of Scientists analyzed and modeled the most scientifically realistic simulation of nuclear war between Russia and the United States.