US and Russian spy chiefs have met face-to-face to discuss Moscow’s nuclear threat in Ukraine and American prisoners held “unjustly” by Russia.
The discussions between CIA Director William Burns and his Russian counterpart Sergei Naryshkin took place the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Monday.
The Kremlin said the talks came as “an initiative of the American side”.
It marks the highest-level public meeting between officials since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The White House said Mr Burns – who was the US ambassador to Russia between 2005 and 2008 and speaks Russian – was not negotiating the end of the war.
His message was “on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia,” and the risk of “escalation to strategic stability,” the White House said in a statement.
In recent months, the US has repeatedly warned Moscow against using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, amid hints from the Kremlin that it could be willing to do so.
In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of wanting to destroy Russia, stressing he would use “all available means” to protect its territory, in what was seen as a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons. [BBC]