CIA Director William Burns met in Ankara, Turkey Monday with Russia’s SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin to warn against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine and to discuss Americans being held by Russia, according to Biden officials. The meeting comes a month after Joe Biden warned the U.S. was on the brink of nuclear “Armageddon” with Russia over Ukraine.
CNN’s Natasha Bertrand reported on the spin on the meeting, “New: CIA Director Bill Burns is meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Naryshkin in Ankara today to discuss detained US citizens and nuclear risk, NSC spokesperson tells me, confirming Kommersant. Spox emphasizes that Burns is “not conducting negotiations of any kind.”…“He is not discussing settlement of the war in Ukraine,” spokesperson says. “He is conveying a message on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, and the risks of escalation to strategic stability. He will also raise the cases of unjustly detained US citizens.”
