US national security adviser Jake Sullivan
(Picture: REUTERS)The White House has confirmed it remains in “communication” with Russia despite its ongoing war in Ukraine.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told an event in New York it is “in [America’s] interests” to keep communication channels with the Kremlin open, the BBC reported.
He is said to have added that officials remains “clear-eyed about who we are dealing with”.
His comments, made at a public event, come after the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that talks are ongoing between the US and the Russian presidency.
A source familiar with the conversations told the publication on Monday that Mr Sullivan has been engaged in confidential talks with senior Russian officials aimed at lowering the risk of a broader war over Ukraine.
Mr Sullivan said in September that the United States had communicated publicly and privately with the Russians about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war.
While he had said publicly that there would be tragic consequences should Russia resort to nuclear weapons, it was unclear how this message was being communicated privately.
The Wall Street Journal’s source said the talks - supposedly aimed at reducing the risk of nuclear escalation - have been taking place in recent months.
Speaking at an event at the Economic Club of New York on Monday, Mr Sullivan did not say he had been engaged himself in direct talks but noted he had said repeatedly that “we have channels to communicate with the Russian Federation at senior levels”.
“We have done so when it’s been necessary to clarify potential misunderstandings and try to reduce risk and reduce the possibility of catastrophe like the potential use of nuclear weapons,” he said.
The White House, which has been careful not to make diplomatic moves about Ukraine without Ukrainian involvement, did not deny talks are being held with Russia but said it “reserves the right” to be in contact with the warring country.
“We reserve the right to speak directly at senior levels about issues of concern to the United States,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “That has happened over the course of the past few months. Our conversations have focused only on...risk reduction and the U.S.-Russia relationship.”
She said US support for Ukraine will be “unflinching and unwavering.”
Putin has appeared on several occasions to threaten a nuclear strike in connection with the war in Ukraine, and Moscow has repeatedly said its military doctrine permits the use of nuclear weapons if Russia’s territorial integrity is under threat.
In September, Putin said he was “not bluffing” when he stated that Russia was prepared to use “all available means” to defend its territory. He also said the United States had created a “precedent” at the end of the Second World War when it dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.
