Russian and U.S. officials held unannounced talks in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported, citing an unnamed source, amid high tension between Moscow and Washington over the war in Ukraine.
A Turkish official initially declined to comment, while the Kremlin said it could neither confirm nor deny the report.
However, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun confirmed the meeting.
"We confirm that Türkiye hosted a meeting between the heads of the Russian and US intelligence agencies earlier today," Altun told the Associated Press. He continued by saying that the meeting was hosted by the country's top intelligence organization, and represents another major contribution of Türkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to global peace.
"Having hosted a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers and facilitated the grain deal, Türkiye will continue to negotiate with all relevant parties for peace and shall not refrain from taking initiative during this process."
Flight-tracking data showed that a Russian government airliner had arrived in Ankara from Moscow at around 8:30 a.m. GMT.
It was reported that aircraft was typically used only by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, currently attending a summit in Bali, and Sergei Naryshkin, head of the SVR foreign intelligence service.
Kommersant provided no details on the purpose of the talks.
Meanwhile, the White House said Washington has been open about communicating with Russia on managing risks, especially nuclear ones.
"As part of this effort Bill Burns is in Ankara today to meet with his Russian intelligence counterpart. He is not conducting negotiations of any kind," the official said, adding that he's conveying a message on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons.
"We briefed Ukraine in advance on his trip. We firmly stick to our fundamental principle: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine."
Türkiye has often presented itself as an arbiter between Moscow and the West since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In July, it helped the United Nations broker an agreement between Russia and Ukraine on exporting grain from blockaded Black Sea ports.
The report comes as the United Nations seeks to ensure the deal will roll over on Nov. 19, and as Washington presses Moscow to release U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan from jail in a prisoner swap.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that Moscow had not shown a willingness so far to engage in productive talks.
