On Monday, 14 November, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had informed a Russian news agency that CIA Director Bill Burns had indeed met with his Russian intelligence counterpart Sergei Naryshkin to warn the latter of the consequences of using a nuke. The meeting according to reports took place at Turkish capital Ankara.
It was the first known high-level, face-to-face US-Russian contact since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The official had said that Ukrainian officials were briefed ahead of Burns' travel to Turkey.
"He is conveying a message on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, and the risks of escalation to strategic stability ... He will also raise the cases of unjustly detained US citizens. He is not conducting negotiations of any kind. He is not discussing settlement of the war in Ukraine," Reuters quoted the spokesperson said.
Turkey earlier this year hosted Ukrainian and Russian officials for talks and played a key role in a UN-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to resume exporting grain to world markets.
The meeting between the spy chiefs came as the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday announced an expanded list of sanctions on 14 people and 28 entities involved in supporting the Russian military-industrial complex. Many of those hit with new sanctions are located outside of Russia, including people and firms based in Switzerland, Taiwan and France.
US President Joe Biden had sent Burns, a former US ambassador to Russia, to Moscow last fall as the US intelligence community saw signs that Putin was preparing to invade Ukraine.
(With input from agencies)
