Unofficial U.S. and Russian representatives have been quietly meeting in Switzerland in recent months for informal discussions regarding Ukraine, Reuters reported on Feb. 21.
The disclosure comes shortly after Russia and the U.S. held preliminary peace talks between high-level officials in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18 without Ukraine's participation.
The informal meetings were described as "track two meetings," a type of unofficial diplomacy meant to lower tension, Reuters reported, citing three unnamed sources.
Russia and the U.S. exchanged communication following U.S. President Donald Trump's election victory on Nov. 5, sources said. A few of Trump's advisors are aware of the informal meetings, one of the unnamed sources with direct knowledge of the meetings told Reuters.
The informal meetings held in Switzerland occurred as recently as days ago, coinciding with the Munich Security Conference. The two sides met in Geneva while the conference was still ongoing, two sources said.
It is uncertain when the informal meetings began and whether or not Ukrainian representatives were involved, one source said.
The attendees are not state officials but held security and diplomatic experience, two of the sources said. It is not clear if their governments sent them to participate in these meetings.
The unnamed sources declined to name the attendees of the informal meetings.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Trump's re-election signaled a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy toward Russia. Following the Feb. 18 talks in Riyadh, relations between Kyiv and the Trump administration degenerated further, with Trump going so far as to call President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" — a Kremlin talking point meant to undermine the Ukrainian government's legitimacy.
Ukrainian and European officials have warned against holding negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine's participation. Ukraine will not accept a peace deal negotiated behind its back, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 17.
Chris York
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