Russian foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said that he and CIA counterpart William Burns had discussed Ukraine in a phone call last month, TASS said on July 12.
Burns called Naryshkin after a brief mutiny by Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner fighters, several U.S. media outlets reported on June 30. The purpose of the call was to tell Moscow that the United States had no role in the mutiny, the U.S. media reported.
Naryshkin confirmed that Burns had raised "the events of June 24," the day the mercenaries took control of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and covered some 780 kilometers toward Moscow before abruptly aborting their march and reaching a deal with the Kremlin to end the revolt.
Naryshkin said the call lasted about an hour, adding, "We considered and discussed what to do with Ukraine."
Naryshkin told TASS that negotiations on the war would become possible at some point. The news agency did not specify whether this was part of his conversation with Burns.
"It's natural that negotiations will be possible sooner or later because any conflict, including armed conflict, ends by negotiations, but the conditions for these still need to ripen," TASS quoted him as saying.
There has been no comment from the CIA on Naryshkin's remarks.
The United States has repeatedly backed the principle "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," meaning other countries should not negotiate its future on its behalf.
Asked about the report, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak told Reuters there could be no negotiations with people like Naryshkin.
"Today, someone like Naryshkin has no leverage over how this war will end," Podolyak said. "This Russian elite perceives events completely inadequately, so there is nothing to talk about with them."
Ukraine, which launched a counteroffensive last month, has said it will not enter talks at this point, as this could effectively freeze the situation on the battlefield with Russia still occupying more than a sixth of its territory. Kyiv also believes Russia would only use a cease-fire established for the purpose of talks to regroup and refortify its positions.