Global Courant
A group of former US security officials have held talks with the Russian elite for a possible peace deal with Ukraine.
In a high-level example of the diplomacy taking place behind the scenes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with members of the group for several hours in April in New York, four former officials and two current officials told NBC News.
On the agenda for the April meeting were some of the thorniest issues in the war in Ukraine, such as the fate of Russian-held territory that Ukraine may never be able to liberate, and the search for an elusive diplomatic platform that may be tolerable for both parties.
Sitting with Lavrov was Richard Haass, a former diplomat and the outgoing president of the Council on Foreign Relations, current officials said. The group was joined from the European side by Charles Kupchan and Russia expert Thomas Graham, both former White House and State Department officials who are members of the Council on Foreign Relations.
However, when asked about the developments, former US officials involved in the discussions did not respond to requests for comment from NBC News, indicating that the ongoing talks were intended to be confidential.
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