US Opens Direct Talks With Myanmar Junta

The Trump administration has opened high-level talks with Myanmar’s military-installed government, reversing years of US efforts to isolate the generals after the 2021 coup. Assistant Secretary of State Michael Vance met leader Min Aung Hlaing in September, in the highest-level US contact since the coup; the talks sought cooperation against scam centers targeting Americans and the release of US businessman Adam Castillo, while potentially opening discussions about Myanmar’s rare-earth minerals. The outreach reflects a shift toward transactional engagement even though Min Aung Hlaing remains under US sanctions over human rights abuses, including the persecution of the Rohingya. Less than two weeks after the meeting, a Myanmar military airstrike on a crowded marketplace in Rakhine state killed more than 50 people, according to UN human rights officials.