In a rare confrontation, the heads of the US and Russian intelligence services met in Turkey on Monday, Washington reiterated its warning to Moscow against any use of nuclear weapons in its war in Ukraine and evoked the fate of its citizens detained in Russia.
William Burns, CIA chief and former US ambassador to Moscow, was to deliver a message to his Russian counterpart Sergei Naryshkin warning “about the consequences of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons and the risks of escalation to strategic stability,” a said the spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
Ukrainians informed about the meeting
William Burns “is not leading negotiations of any kind” nor is he “discussing a settlement of the war in Ukraine,” the same source clarified, adding that the Ukrainians had been previously informed of the meeting.
The senior official will also discuss with his Russian counterpart the case of US citizens “unfairly” detained in Russia, the White House continued, alluding in particular to basketball champion Brittney Griner and former soldier Paul Whelan.
“We confirm that Russian-American talks are taking place in Ankara today,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Monday, stressing that it was an “initiative of the American side.” He declined to give details about the content of the discussions.
“Channels of communication” between Washington and Moscow
The Turkish presidency confirmed for its part that “Turkey hosted a meeting between the heads of the American and Russian intelligence services today.”
The meeting in Ankara comes at a key moment in Russia’s war against Ukraine, following the withdrawal last week of Russian forces from the city of Kherson.
Russian President Vladimir Putin aroused international concern when he hinted at the atomic bomb in a televised speech on September 21, saying he was ready to use “all means” in his arsenal against the West. Since then, the United States and its allies have worked publicly and privately to warn Russia, including during a phone conversation between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.
Despite the war, US officials insist that the US and Russia have maintained “channels of communication” since the start of the Russian offensive on February 24, including through the US embassy in Moscow, to relay messages about their bilateral relations.
Offer of a “prisoner exchange”
US President Joe Biden said last Wednesday that he hoped the Russian president would be more willing to discuss a prisoner exchange with the United States.
“My hope is that now that the elections are over, Vladimir Putin can talk to us and is willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange,” the US president said at a press conference the day after the midterm elections in the United States. Joined.
Women’s basketball star Brittney Griner, arrested in February at a Moscow airport in possession of a vaporizer containing liquid cannabis, was sentenced to nine years in prison for “drug trafficking” and recently transferred to an unidentified penal colony. Washington has repeatedly indicated that it has presented Russia with a “significant offer” for the release of the athlete and former soldier Paul Whelan, which has so far received no response.
According to Russian diplomatic sources, a possible prisoner swap could affect Brittney Griner and a Russian arms dealer detained in the United States, Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States. The Russians and Americans have agreed to several prisoner exchanges in the past.
Source: BFM TV
