The US television network CNN, the “New York Times” and other US media reported unanimously, citing a spokesman for the US government, Burns warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. He is also said to have raised cases of US citizens wrongfully detained in Russia.
The New York Times wrote that it was at the meeting not about negotiations at the end of the war in Ukraine. Ukraine was informed in advance about Burns’ trip. The Russian business newspaper Kommersant had previously reported on the meeting in Ankara, citing an unspecified source.
The last officially confirmed meeting between a US and a Russian delegation was in mid-January – before Russia invaded Ukraine. At that time, both sides discussed the security guarantees demanded by Moscow. In early November, the US newspaper Washington Post reported that the US had called on Ukraine to signal its willingness to negotiate with Russia. However, this has not been officially confirmed. On Thursday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US administration is not pressuring Ukraine over possible negotiations with Russia.
Kyiv also demands, among other things, the withdrawal of all Russian troops from its territory and compensation for the damage caused by the war.