Biden aide held talks with Russian officials amid nuclear tensions, Wall Street Journal reports

Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, has had undisclosed discussions with Russian officials in an effort to reduce the risk that the war in Ukraine escalates or spills over into a nuclear conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday (13 November).

According to the newspaper, US and allied officials claimed that Sullivan was President Joe Biden’s top aide in national security. In recent months, Sullivan had confidential conversations with Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin aide, and Nikolai Patrushev (Sullivan's counterpart), that were not made public.

The White House did not comment on the report and responded to questions only with Adrienne Watson's statement: "People claim many things."

The Wall Street Journal reported that officials failed to provide dates or count the calls.

In recent months, few high-level contacts between U.S. officials and Russian officials were made public. Washington insists that talks to end the war in Ukraine must be held between Moscow (and Kyiv).

According to reports, the conversations occurred as the West accused Moscow of increasing nuclear rhetoric. Most recently, it accuses Kyiv of repeatedly planning to use a radioactive bomb without providing evidence.

The plan was denied by Kyiv, and the United States and other Western countries have suggested that Russia might be plotting to organize such an attack and use it to escalate the conflict.

Russia has accused the West, in turn, of encouraging provocations.

Friday's visit by Sullivan to Kyiv was a sign of Washington's "unwavering and unflinching" support for Ukraine.

Share this article: