NBC News-Fmr US Officials Held Talks w/Russians On Peace Negotiations

NBC News reportingthat "A group of former senior U.S. national security officials have held secret talks with prominent Russians believed to be close to the Kremlin — and, in at least one case, with the country’s top diplomat — with the aim of laying the groundwork for potential negotiations to end the war in Ukraine,"

• The report appears to be strongly sourced, with NBC News stating that "half a dozen people briefed on the discussions" had confirmed the story." The alleged inclusion of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the discussions would indicate a significant amount of Kremlin knowledge and approval of the move to potentially seek talks. Given that these took place before the Wagner mutiny, that has damaged Putin's image of absolute control, the efforts could end up being accelerated further in the short-to-medium term.
• There has already been talk of prisoner exchanges between Russia and the US regarding WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich, indicating that the two sides are in contact.
• US and other Western nation stances at next week's NATO summit regarding the level of support for Ukraine both in military terms and in reconstruction funds could prove a potential indicator as to what senior NATO nations see regarding the prospect of peace negotiations.
• The story comes as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also talks up the prospect of negotiations, with Russian state outlet TASS reporting Lukashenko as stating that "Ukraine peace talks might start by autumn." More comments from Lukashenko here.