The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the reports of a meeting between U.S. and Russian officials holding discussions in Türkiye's capital Ankara on Monday, calling them "very positive."
Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of G-20 Bali Summit in Indonesia, Guterres said the U.N. was not involved in talks reportedly held between U.S. and Russian officials.
"I think it is very positive that U.S. and Russia have talks because that is an extremely relevant development in relation to the future. But, we are not involved," Guterres affirmed.
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns was holding talks with his Russian counterpart Monday in Ankara to warn him about the consequences of using nuclear weapons, which Moscow has threatened to deploy in Ukraine.
The CIA chief was to deliver a message to Russian Sergei Naryshkin, head of the SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service, "on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, and the risks of escalation to strategic stability," the White House National Security Council said.
On the renewal of the Black Sea grain Initiative, Guterres voiced hope for a meeting between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia at the summit.
"There was a lot of progress in removing obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizers. I am hopeful that our efforts will go on being successful and will be able to remove the last obstacles," he said.
The U.N. chief also expressed hopes for the Black Sea grain initiative to be renewed as the exports that it allows "are extremely important for today's world."
