President Joe Biden’s national security adviser is said to be engaged in “confidential talks” with top Putin aides to prevent a nuclear war.
US officials told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday how Jake Sullivan met with Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to Putin, and his direct counterpart Nikolai Potrushev to warn of an escalation in the war in Ukraine — although they did not will be talking about possible settlement of the conflict.
Several officials who spoke to the Journal about Sullivan’s discussions with Russian officials said he was known in the White House for pushing a line of communication with Russia, even when others thought it would be fruitless.
The White House has previously said that maintaining some degree of contact with Moscow is essential to achieving shared national security interests, particularly after Putin warned against the use of nuclear weapons.
At the same time, US officials are said to be putting pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to lift his ban on talks with Putin and to negotiate an end to the fighting.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has urged keeping ties open with Russian officials amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. He is pictured here in Ukraine on Friday
US officials have described how Sullivan has met with Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to Putin, and his direct counterpart Nikolai Potrushev over the past few months to warn of the risk of an escalation in the war in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in September that the country could start using nuclear weapons
Biden originally sought to develop a relationship with Putin when he took office and met with him at a summit in Geneva in June 2021.
But in October of this year, US intelligence indicated that Russian forces were preparing to invade Ukraine.
The US President then spoke to Putin in December 2021 and again in February 2022 to stave off a Russian attack – but his efforts fell short when Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Since then, officials say, Sullivan has taken a leading role in coordinating Biden administration policies and plans in response to the war and has been involved in diplomatic efforts.
When Putin hinted in September that Russia might resort to nuclear weapons, Sullivan said the Biden administration had “directly and privately communicated to the Kremlin at a very high level that any use of nuclear weapons will have disastrous consequences for Russia.”
He did not specify at the time how the Biden administration spoke to Russian officials.
And in a March conversation with Patrushev, Sullivan is saddened to have told the Russian official that Moscow forces should stop attacking Ukrainian towns and cities and warned the Kremlin not to use chemical or biological weapons.
Russian officials then issued a statement saying Patrushev stressed “the need to end Washington’s support for neo-Nazis and terrorists in Ukraine and to facilitate the transfer of foreign mercenaries to the conflict zone, as well as to refuse further arms supplies to the Kyiv regime.” .’
President Joe Biden had tried to develop a relationship with Putin when he took office
Rescue workers respond to a Russian missile attack that destroyed a commercial establishment on Sunday
Worshipers pray and light candles at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral, the Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, on Sunday amid the ongoing war
But Sullivan isn’t the only one in the Biden administration trying to reach out to Russian officials as relations between the two countries deteriorate.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and several of his counterparts were speaking with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu this month as Moscow claimed Kyiv was preparing a so-called dirty bomb on us in the ongoing war.
At that meeting, officials say, Austin stressed the importance of maintaining lines of communication.
Now Washington DC and Moscow appear to be making at least some progress on arms control deals.
The two sides adhere to the New START treaty, which limits US and Russian long-range nuclear weapons, according to The Wall Street Journal, and plan to hold meetings of the Bilateral Advisory Commission to discuss its implementation.
The goal is to resume inspections of nuclear weapons that have been suspended during the pandemic.
The United States is said to have privately encouraged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to lift his ban on talks with Putin and negotiate an end to the fighting
Meanwhile, the United States is said to have privately encouraged Zelenskyy to lift his ban on speaking with Putin and negotiate an end to the fighting.
US officials have said the Biden administration’s plea is not to push Ukraine to the negotiating table, but to ensure Kyiv retains the support of its international backers.
People familiar with the discussions fear Zelenskyy’s ban on talks with the Russian president has sparked concern in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America where the impact of the war is being felt most.
Several nations are concerned about fomenting a years-long war that has already taken a toll on the world economy and has had devastating consequences on the cost and availability of food and fuel.
“Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners,” a US official told the Washington Post.