Russians and Americans secretly met in Switzerland and talked about war – Reuters
Pravda Ukraine
Reuters has reported that representatives of Russia and the United States have repeatedly held secret meetings in Switzerland to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Source: Reuters with reference to three sources familiar with the matter
Details: Sources of Reuters said that these meetings have taken place over the past few months, including as recently as last week.
Sources described these talks as an additional communication channel, with some contacts occurring in the transition period following Donald Trump’s victory in the election on 5 November 2024.
Reuters pointed out that although the participants in these discussions have diplomatic and security expertise, they are not government officials. It was not immediately clear whether they were acting on behalf of their respective governments.
The sources declined to name the negotiators but noted that at least several of Trump’s advisors were aware of the meetings.
“Many other details remain unclear, including the meetings’ agendas, whether Ukrainians were present and when the encounters began. But the previously undisclosed meetings highlight behind-the-scenes US and Russian efforts to explore ways of ending the Ukraine war despite a near-freeze on official contact under Trump’s predecessor, former President Joe Biden,” Reuters wrote.
One source described the meetings in Switzerland as “Track Two” discussions, that is, unofficial discussions aimed at improving communication and exchanging ideas rather than formulating concrete proposals.
Two sources confirmed that at least one meeting took place in Geneva last week, coinciding with the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Reuters noted that they reached out to the US National Security Council, the Ukrainian government and the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment, but they did not respond to the requests.
Background:
- On 9 February, US President Donald Trump said he spoke by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in an attempt to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
- On 18 February, talks between US and Russian delegations took place in Saudi Arabia, lasting four and a half hours. According to Russian propaganda media outlets, the discussions covered economic cooperation and “the issue of the Ukrainian settlement”.
- The Russian side was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said before that Ukraine would not be participating in upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia and would not recognise any agreements made on Ukraine without Kyiv’s involvement.
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