U.S. State Department: Biden Administration Refuses to Negotiate with Russia in Ukraine's Absence

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated today, Thursday, that "President Joe Biden's administration has not sanctioned secret meetings held by former senior national security officials with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other Russian officials regarding talks to end the war in Ukraine." NBC News reported that "former U.S. officials met with Lavrov in New York in April, including former U.S. diplomat Richard Haass and two former White House aides." The report added, "It was unclear how many times the group, which included former officials from the U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon), had discussions with other senior Russian officials believed to be close to the Kremlin," noting that "at least one unidentified member of the group traveled to Russia." In response to questions from Reuters, the State Department spokesperson said: "The Biden administration has not approved these discussions. As we have repeatedly stated, nothing concerning Ukraine without Ukraine's participation." The spokesperson referred to the Biden administration's policy of not discussing potential negotiations to end the war without involving Ukrainian officials. The spokesperson also highlighted that "the government will continue to supply Kyiv with weapons so that Ukrainian officials can negotiate from a position of strength when they believe the time is right."