NBC News reported on July 6 that back-channel negotiations between former US officials and Russian officials and thinkers have occurred. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met for several hours with the group of Americans in April in New York, when he came to chair the UN Security Council in person during Russia’s rotating presidency of the body, according to NBC News’s six sources — four former officials and two currently serving ones.
Among those meeting with Lavrov were Richard Haass, the now-outgoing president of the Council on Foreign Relations, and two CFR fellows: Charles Kupchan and Thomas Graham. In other backchannel discussions, former U.S. Assistant Defense Secretary Mary Beth Long participated.
On the Russian side, discussions have pulled in academics, think tank leaders, and others with foreign policy expertise.
During the time of Lavrov’s visit, Haass and Kupchan authored a Foreign Affairs article titled “The West Needs a New Strategy in Ukraine,” which urged a cease-fire and the creation of a demilitarized zone to be overseen by a neutral body such as the UN or the OSCE.
