It is not clear how frequently the back-channel discussions have taken place, nor whether they are part of a single, organized effort. and Russian governments over Ukraine have been few and far between. Formal, high-level diplomatic engagements between the U.S. The discussions are known in diplomatic parlance as “Track Two diplomacy,” a form of unofficial engagement involving private citizens not in government - or, in the case of the Lavrov meeting, “Track 1.5,” meaning current officials are involved on one end of the conversation. The discussions have taken place with the knowledge of the Biden administration but not at its direction, and the former officials involved in the Lavrov meeting briefed the White House National Security Council afterward, two of the sources said. All of the sources declined to be named in order to confirm talks that were intended to be kept confidential.Īmong the goals, they said, is to keep channels of communication with Russia open when possible and to feel out where there might be room for future negotiation, compromise and diplomacy over ending the war.

officials involved either did not respond to requests for comment or declined to comment on the record. Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Konstantinovsky Palace outside St. The group was joined by Europe expert Charles Kupchan and Russia expert Thomas Graham, both former White House and State Department officials who are Council on Foreign Relations fellows. Meeting with Lavrov were Richard Haass, a former diplomat and the outgoing president of the Council on Foreign Relations, current and former officials said.

On the agenda were some of the thorniest issues in the war in Ukraine, like the fate of Russian-held territory that Ukraine may never be able to liberate and the search for an elusive diplomatic off-ramp that could be tolerable to both sides.

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