Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev met with William Burns, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States, in Moscow on Tuesday.

"The parties discussed Russian-American relations," according to a statement published on the council's website.

A U.S. embassy spokesperson told AFP that Burns' visit came at the request of President Joe Biden and that the director was leading a delegation of senior officials for meetings over two days.

"They are meeting with members of the Russian government to discuss a range of issues in the bilateral relationship," the U.S. spokesperson said.

Burns was confirmed as CIA head in March this year, making this visit to Moscow his first meeting with Patrushev in the new role.

(Cover: Saint Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, December 2, 2020. /Xinhua)