CIA chief talks nukes and prisoners with Putin's spy chief

WASHINGTON: US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns on Monday will caution Vladimir Putin’s spy chief about the consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and will raise the issue of US prisoners in Russian jails, a White House spokesperson said.

In the first known high-level face-to-face US-Russian contact since Putin’s Feb 24 invasion of Ukraine, Burns was in Ankara on Monday to meet Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service.

“He is not conducting negotiations of any kind. He is not discussing settlement of the war in Ukraine,” said the White House spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“He is conveying a message on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, and the risks of escalation to strategic stability,” the spokesperson said. “He will also raise the cases of unjustly detained US citizens.”

Burns, a former US ambassador to Russia who was sent to Moscow in late 2021 by US President Joe Biden to caution Putin about the troop buildup around Ukraine, is not discussing a potential settlement to the war in Ukraine, the spokesperson said.

“We briefed Ukraine in advance on his trip. We firmly stick to our fundamental principle: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

Putin has repeatedly said Russia will defend its territory with all available means, including nuclear weapons, if attacked. Putin says the West has engaged in nuclear blackmail against Russia.