Victoria Nuland, key American figure in Ukraine's bloody 2014 ‘Maidan,’ wants meeting with Moscow despite visa ban – Kommersant

One of America's most prominent diplomats, widely cast as the leading foreign force behind calls for regime change in the unrest that hit Ukraine in 2014, is hoping for a summit with officials in Moscow, Russian media reports.

Victoria Nuland, who serves as US President Joe Biden's Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, is said to have opened up bilateral channels with the Kremlin in an effort to secure a meeting with counterparts in Russia. Moscow daily Kommersant, which is known to have good sources in the diplomatic sphere, reported on Friday that authorities are considering the request and that "sources have made it clear that such a visit is highly likely," but that no date has been set at present.

"The meeting is being discussed – maybe for November, but this isn't yet confirmed. So far, we haven't discussed the specifics of negotiators," a source in Washington told the publication.

Nuland previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs under former President Barack Obama. In 2014, she played a leading role in Ukraine's Maidan, handing out snacks and taking pictures with activists railing against the country's government. In the aftermath, she promised the troubled nation a $1-billion-dollar loan guarantee program and to provide assistance to its military, in response to Kiev's attempt to turn towards the West.

In a leaked recording of a call between Nuland and the US's then-Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, the pair appeared to discuss which opposition politicians should and shouldn't be included in the post-Maidan government, hinting that they were actively involved in discussions with activists. At the same time, Nuland suggested bringing in then-Vice President Biden to “midwife this thing.” She also famously expressed her view that they should "f**k the EU," by ignoring its input.

In 2019, the diplomat was denied a visa to attend a closed-door conference in Russia, with her name included on a blacklist maintained by authorities in response to sanctions against Russian officials by Washington.

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