US National Security Advisers held talks with senior Russian officials to sto

Washington/Moscow: There were reports that the US has been pressurising Ukraine to discuss with Russia to stop the conflict. However, Ukrainian President Zelensky declined it. After this, senior US officials seem to start direct discussions with Russian officials. There have been claims that threats of nuclear war from Russia or the results of the US mid-term elections were behind the discussion. Besides, there is a strong possibility that the Republican Party would establish dominance in the US Congress after President Biden’s Democratic Party gets defeated in these mid-term elections. If that happens, the Republican party leaders warned that the United States would stop all the aid given to Ukraine. This has been the background behind the sudden initiative of the Biden administration to stop the conflict in Ukraine.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has been in contact with senior Russian officials, reported the Wall Street Journal, a leading US daily. The US daily has said that Sullivan discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Policy Advisor, Yuri Ushakov and the Chief of the National Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev. The Wall Street Journal noted that the talks aimed at preventing the flaring up of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and maintaining dialogue with Russia.

Moreover, many senior officials in the Biden administration have been taking an aggressive stance against Russia. Several officials, including Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, have warned Russia of dire consequences. Against this backdrop, sources in the administration claimed that Sullivan adopted a policy of keeping the avenue open for talks with Russia. The US daily reported that in his visit to Ukraine last week, too, Sullivan appealed to the President of Ukraine to start efforts to stop the conflict. There were claims that Sullivan has put forward a position that, even if they do not want to start the direct peace talks, signals should be sent to the international community that at least efforts are being made to prevent the conflict.

Russia, as of now, has refused to respond to the ongoing talk efforts of the US. Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has nothing to say about the US report of the US daily. Meanwhile, the possible change of power in the US Congress is said to be one of the reasons behind the efforts of the Biden administration, including the growing threat of nuclear attack. After Tuesday’s mid-term elections, there were predictions that the Republican Party would dominate the US Congress. If that happens, US aid from Ukraine is likely to stop. In that case, the ongoing attacks from Ukraine against Russia may hamper. At the same time, there has also been a possibility that Ukraine would have to retreat against Russia.