CIA Director William Burns has held talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) chief Sergei Naryshkin on bilateral cooperation in fighting international terrorism.
Burns is on a rare visit to Moscow to discuss U.S.-Russian relations amid persistent tensions between Washington and Moscow.
"The focus was on interdepartmental interaction in the context of Russian-U.S. relations with an emphasis on the fight against international terrorism," an SVR press release said after the meeting on November 3.
A day earlier, Burns met with Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia's Security Council. The two “discussed Russian-U.S. relations," the Council's press service said in a short November 2 statement.
Russia's ties with the United States are at a post-Cold War low, strained by issues including Russia's alleged meddling in elections, Moscow's seizure of Crimea, the conflict in eastern Ukraine, cyberattacks allegedly from Russian hackers, and the poisoning of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said that despite tensions his administration is looking to cooperate with Moscow on specific issues, including strategic arms reductions, the Iran nuclear talks, and countering ransomware and other cyberattacks.
On Rare Visit to Moscow, CIA's Burns Holds Talks With SVR Chief Naryshkin
CIA Director William Burns (file photo)