Warning against the use of nuclear weapons: Meeting of the heads of the secret service from the USA and Russia

The head of the US CIA, Burns, has met his Russian counterpart Naryshkin in Turkey. Burns is said to have warned of the consequences of using Russian nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

US and Russian intelligence chiefs met in Ankara. This was confirmed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Peskov told Russia’s state news agency Tass that “the meeting actually took place.” It came about on American initiative.

The US television network CNN, the “New York Times” and other US media had previously reported, citing a US government spokesman, that CIA director Bill Burns and Russian foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin had spoken to each other. According to media reports, Ukraine was informed about the meeting in advance.

It was the first direct meeting of senior officials from both countries since the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February. The Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported that the Turkish secret service MIT acted as host. Burns was a former US ambassador to Russia and traveled to Moscow last fall when, according to US intelligence, Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine.

Warning against the use of nuclear weapons

According to the New York Times, the meeting was not about negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. According to US media, CIA director Burns instead warned the Russian foreign intelligence chief Naryshkin of the consequences of using Russian nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Turkey confirms that. An aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, told the AP news agency that it was about “threats to international security, starting with the use of nuclear weapons.” Turkey will “continue to negotiate with all relevant parties for peace and will not hold back from taking the initiative in the process,” Altun said.

Russian President Putin has repeatedly hinted that Russia could use its nuclear arsenal in the conflict. His US colleague Joe Biden warned that this could spiral the conflict out of control.