Representatives of the United States and Russia have been holding secret meetings for several months to discuss the war in Ukraine. The parties used a channel in Switzerland for this purpose. This is reported by Reuters.
Three sources familiar with the matter told the Western publication that such negotiations have taken place over the past three months, including as recently as last week.
According to Reuters, the talks used a side channel with some contacts and took place during the transition period following Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election on November 5.
The negotiators have diplomatic and security experience, but are not government officials. It was also unclear whether they were sent by their governments, two sources told Reuters. The sources declined to name the participants.
One of the Western publication's sources said that at least a small number of Trump's advisers were aware of such meetings.
“Many other details remain unclear, including the agenda of the meetings, whether Ukrainians were present, and when the meetings began. But the previously undisclosed meetings demonstrate behind-the-scenes efforts by the United States and Russia to explore ways to end the war in Ukraine, despite a near-freeze in official contacts under Trump’s predecessor, former President Joe Biden,” Reuters writes.
One source described the talks in Switzerland as “second-track discussions,” meaning informal dialogue aimed at improving communication and advancing ideas, rather than developing specific proposals.
Two sources told Reuters that at least one meeting took place in Geneva during the Munich Security Conference (Germany) last week - a gathering of international political leaders and security chiefs.
A Western media source suggested that the back-end negotiations have lost their relevance, as representatives of the US and Russia have established official channels of dialogue in recent weeks.
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