The Kremlin declined to comment on a recent Wall Street Journal report that a top U.S. security official has held a number of secret phone conversations with high-ranking Russian officials.
“We have nothing to say about this publication,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Nov. 7.
A day earlier, the WSJ reported that U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan has held a series of undisclosed talks in recent months with his Russian counterparts. According to the report, the discussions were held with the aim of preventing the war in Ukraine from escalating into a nuclear conflict, amid steadily escalating rhetoric by Moscow and Washington.
The White House also declined to comment on the report; a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council said, “People claim a lot of things.”
Washington’s official stance on the issue is that any talks aimed at ending the conflict should be held directly between Kyiv and Moscow.
On Nov. 4, Sullivan visited Kyiv, where he said Washington’s support for the Ukrainian war effort would remain “unwavering and unflinching” following the Nov. 8 U.S. midterm elections.
His comments reflect widespread speculation that U.S. financial and military support for Ukraine might be drastically reduced if Republicans capture a majority in Congress in the elections.
“We fully intend to ensure that the resources are there as necessary and that we’ll get votes from both sides of the aisle to make that happen,” Sullivan said at a press conference in Kyiv.
Rhetoric between Moscow and Kyiv’s Western allies has steadily escalated in recent weeks.
Last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that the world’s five declared nuclear powers–which include the United States and Russia–were sitting “on the brink of a direct armed conflict.”
The ministry urged Western powers to refrain from “encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction, which can lead to catastrophic consequences.”
Quietly Urging Diplomacy
Speaking to reporters on Nov. 7, Peskov also declined to comment on a recent report in The Washington Post that claimed U.S. officials were privately urging Kyiv to show a willingness to hold talks with Moscow.“We don’t know if that’s the case,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
On Nov. 5, the paper reported that Washington was quietly asking the Ukrainian leadership to drop its stated refusal to hold peace talks with Moscow as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin remains in power.
The U.S. National Security Council likewise declined to comment on the report.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said, “If Russia is ready for negotiation, it should stop its bombs and missiles and withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
“The Kremlin has demonstrated its unwillingness to seriously engage in negotiations since even before it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine” on Feb. 24.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Nov. 4, “We are ready for peace, for a fair and just peace, the formula of which we have voiced many times.”
Peskov voiced skepticism regarding the claims made in The Washington Post report.
“Once again, I repeat that there are some truthful reports, but for the most part, there are reports that are pure speculation,” he said.
While Russia remains open to talks, it’s currently unable to do so because of the stated refusal of the government in Kyiv to open negotiations with Moscow, he said.
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