Top US, Russian officials held secret talks in New York: Report
Russian and American flags displayed at the United States Mission prior to talks between deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. (AP File Photo)


A group of senior U.S. and Russian officials held secret talks in New York to discuss potential negotiations regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, a report said Wednesday.

Citing anonymous sources, a report by NBC News said that senior U.S. national security officials met with Russian officials in April.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also met with group members, according to the report.

The report said that issues, including the future of territory held by Russia, were discussed in the meeting.

In March, the top diplomats of the U.S. and Russia encountered and talked briefly for the first time since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, without indicating any movement toward easing the intense tensions between the two nations. U.S. officials said Blinken and Lavrov chatted for roughly 10 minutes on the sidelines of the New Delhi G20 conference of foreign ministers. But there was no sign of any progress, and the meeting ended with the grouping unable to reach a consensus on the Ukraine war.

Russian and U.S. officials also held unannounced talks in the Turkish capital Ankara in November.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan had previously accused Moscow of being willing to engage in productive talks.