MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Fake news about Moscow and Washington allegedly discussing Ukraine continue to circulate, including, among other means, as a way of destabilizing Russia from within, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Channel One television on Wednesday.
Earlier, Russia dismissed as fake allegations purporting that, in April, US officials held secretive talks on Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"Lavrov has not had any Track Two or Track Three talks, as US media put it, with anyone on agreements with Ukraine. These are bogus stories, and this was done intentionally. Among other things, <…> this topic will be constantly floated for the sole purpose of destabilizing us from within," the Russian diplomat said.
Earlier, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the Biden administration had not sent any signals on Ukraine via experts to Lavrov during his visit to New York in April.
Commenting on these US media reports and a statement by White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby, who said that a group of former US officials had attempted to establish an unofficial communication channel with Moscow, Zakharova explained earlier that the United States was seeking to present one of Lavrov’s meetings with political science scholars at the United Nations as an alleged meeting with US political figures. According to her, current international relations and the global agenda were discussed at Lavrov’s meeting with the academics, but the discussion did not touch upon any Ukraine peace plan.