US begins direct talks with Myanmar in reversal of isolation attempts following military coup

The Trump administration has initiated direct talks with Myanmar's military-installed government, reversing the US policy of isolation following the 2021 coup. Assistant Secretary of State Michael Vance led the outreach, meeting with coup leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw on September 15-16. The talks focused on shutting down scam centers targeting Americans, but also touched on broader engagement, including Myanmar's rare-earth mineral deposits. The shift underscores a move away from democracy promotion toward transactional engagement.

The Trump administration has initiated direct talks with Myanmar's military-installed government, marking a sharp reversal of Washington's post-2021 coup isolation policy. Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Michael Vance led the outreach, meeting with coup leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw on September 15-16. The meeting, the highest-level contact since the coup, focused on shutting down scam centers that target Americans, but also opened the door to broader engagement, including access to Myanmar's rare-earth mineral deposits. Vance's role and the meeting were previously unreported. Min Aung Hlaing remains under US sanctions for human rights abuses, including the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. Less than two weeks after Vance's visit, Myanmar's military conducted an airstrike on a crowded marketplace in Rakhine state, killing over 50 people. The State Department defended the engagement, stating, "You don't solve problems by ignoring them." The shift underscores a broader Trump administration foreign policy tilt away from democracy promotion toward transactional engagement. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, decried the shift as "contrary to both our values and our interests."