MOSCOW: Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, commenting on his conversation with the British prime minister’s National Security Adviser ...
MOSCOW: Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, commenting on his conversation with the British prime minister’s National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, stated that the discussion did take place but it was "unremarkable," as his counterpart was focused on conveying Europeans’ stance instead of discussing any potential proposals.
"The conversation did happen, we talked. He merely conveyed London’s official stance, but this is not very interesting. Usually, during confidential phone calls, some potential proposals or ideas are discussed," Ushakov told journalists, replying to a question about his talk with the UK national security adviser.
He added that "simply stating one’s position is not particularly interesting." "I have no idea why this issue even surfaced now," Ushakov said.
Earlier, the Financial Times (FT), citing sources, reported that Powell had tried to open a backchannel with the Kremlin earlier this year by contacting Ushakov. The call was meant to convey the positions of the United Kingdom and other European countries to the Russian side. The newspaper noted that the conversation was a one-off and that Powell was unable to establish a sustained communication channel.
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