Russian President Vladimir Putin
Image: AP
The Russian “Kommersant” reports that a Russian delegation is in Ankara for talks with the United States. Washington had recently confirmed contacts to “reduce the risk in the relationship”.
Dhe Russian newspaper Kommersant claims to have learned that talks between Russian and American delegations are taking place in the Turkish capital Ankara. Sergey Naryshkin, director of the SWR foreign intelligence service, is taking part from the Russian side. The meeting had not been previously announced.
The Kremlin-loyal news portal “Lenta.ru” recalled a statement by the spokeswoman for the US National Security Council, Adrienne Watson. This had recently confirmed to the American news portal “Politico” that the United States was holding direct talks with Russia that only concerned Russian-American relations. “The only purpose” of these talks is “to reduce the risk in US-Russian relations.” This has nothing to do with diplomacy or anything to do with Ukraine,” Watson said.
Last week, Kommersant reported that Washington and Moscow were still in contact over the Strategic Arms Reduction and Limitation Treaty (New START), which expires in 2026. A meeting of the commission of both countries could take place at the end of November or beginning of December. It would be the first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February. According to “Kommersant”, a country in the Middle East is a possible place of conversation. Geneva, the former place of negotiations, is out for Moscow because Switzerland, which has joined sanctions against Russia, is no longer neutral.
