Russia’s Security Council Secretary Patrushev Meets With CIA Director Burns in Moscow

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - This was the first time Patrushev met Burns since the latter was appointed to lead the CIA. The two previously met in 2013, when Burns was serving as acting secretary of state.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev met with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns in Moscow on Tuesday, the council said, adding that "the parties discussed Russian-American relations".

This was the first time Patrushev met Burns since the latter was appointed to lead the CIA. The two previously met in 2013, when Burns was serving as acting secretary of state.

Patrushev maintains contact with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, having held six phone talks and one personal meeting with him earlier in the year.

Bilateral relations between Russia and the United States are not currently at their peak, even though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said recently that both countries agree that contacts on a high level are "necessary".

"We agree that top-level contacts are necessary both from the point of view of our bilateral relations and in terms of our dialogue on a 'broader geography'. [...] Contacts with the US side will continue", Peskov told reporters earlier in the week.

The Kremlin voiced hopes that Russia and the United States will continue their closed cybersecurity dialogue. It was also agreed to continue contacts between the two countries in regard to issues related to Ukraine after US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's visit in October.

Some tensions between the countries, however, remain, although Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia admitted that "this year, the situation has become better". In particular, Russia and the US are still to resolve issues around their diplomatic operations in Washington and Moscow, respectively.

Since mid-May, the US Embassy in Moscow has suspended all non-diplomatic non-immigrant visa services in response to a decision by the Russian authorities to ban the hiring of local and foreign personnel. The provision of consular services by American diplomats at the consulates in Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok has also been suspended.

During the presidency of Donald Trump, when tensions between Russia and the US started to heat up, the US government closed the Russian Consulates General in San Francisco and Seattle while reducing the number of staff at the Consulate General in Houston.