ANKARA: Russian and US officials held unannounced talks in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported, citing an unnamed source, amid high tension between Moscow and Washington over the war in Ukraine.
A Turkish official initially declined to comment, while the Kremlin said it could neither confirm nor deny the report. However, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun confirmed the meeting. “We confirm that Türkiye hosted a meeting between the heads of the Russian and US intelligence agencies earlier today,” Altun told the Associated Press. He continued by saying that the meeting was hosted by the country’s top intelligence organization, and represents another major contribution of Türkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to global peace.
“Having hosted a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers and facilitated the grain deal, Türkiye will continue to negotiate with all relevant parties for peace and shall not refrain from taking initiative during this process.”
Flight-tracking data showed that a Russian government airliner had arrived in Ankara from Moscow at around 8:30 a.m. GMT.
It was reported that aircraft was typically used only by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, currently attending a summit in Bali, and Sergei Naryshkin, head of the SVR foreign intelligence service. –Agencues
