Russian newspaper says high-level talks could take place today between US and Russia over eastern Ukraine

Victoria Nuland, the US assistant secretary of state, and Vladislav Surkov, a top Kremlin aide, are rumored to be meeting later today, January 15, in the Russian exclave Kaliningrad, according to the newspaper Kommersant, citing anonymous sources.

The theme of the talks will center around implementation of the Minsk agreements, which are meant to regulate the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

Assistant Secretary Nuland is currently taking part in the annual “Snow Meeting” in Trakai, Luthuania, which focuses on issues of Euro-Atlantic security.

Kommersant speculates that the meeting is taking place in Kaliningrad because the European Union has placed Surkov on a travel “blacklist,” barring him entry into many European countries (including Lithuania). 

In 2014-2015, Victoria Nuland repeatedly visited Ukraine and met with many high-ranking government officials.

Vladislav Surkov is reported to be the key Russian negotiator and keeper of the Minsk Agreements. If the meeting in Kaliningrad today takes place, it will likely address additional measures to ensure the fulfillment of the Minsk agreements.

A year on since the second Minsk Agreements signing, not one of its 13 stipulations has been met to the satisfaction of all parties.

Multilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France took place in Minsk, Belarus, on February 11, 2015. The talks resulted in agreements intended to halt the conflict in Ukraine.

The agreements reinstituted a series of measures (negotiated earlier on in September 2014) to be implemented and adhered to until December 31, 2015. By and large these measures were not followed.

Adherence to the Minsk agreements is a key condition for the United States and the European Union to lift sanctions against Russia.