Kyiv fears informal US-Russia talks are linked to Ukraine's NATO membership
Kyiv is concerned about reports of meetings between former US officials and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, fearing that this may indicate a weakening of US support for Ukraine.
Source: representative of the Ukrainian authorities in a comment to NBC News, as European Pravda reports
Details: An unnamed Ukrainian official said that Kyiv was "closely monitoring the publications and comments regarding the secret meeting", as well as reports that "similar backroom consultations between U.S. and Russian citizens took place in other parts of the world".
Quote: "Given the timing of the appearance of these materials in the mass media on the eve of the Vilnius summit, the question arises whether Washington’s tough position regarding the invitation of Ukraine to NATO is somehow not connected with these backroom consultations," the statement reads.
Details: Sources of European Pravda confirm that the Ukrainian authorities really have such concerns.
Background:
- NBC News previously reported that a group of former high-ranking US government officials held an informal meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in April of this year to "lay foundations for future negotiations to end the war in Ukraine".
- According to media reports, the participants in the negotiations informed the administration of US President Joe Biden about their content. But the administration later stated that it had neither authorised nor supported such secret meetings.
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