US ‘energising’ talks to end Yemen war: Special envoy

US pivots from Trump-era foreign policy as special envoy confirms talks with Houthi rebels to end Yemen civil war.

The US special envoy to Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, said on Tuesday the United States was “aggressively” using back-channel discussions to speak to Houthi leadership in the war-torn country in an effort to end the country’s brutal civil war. “We’re working now to energise international diplomatic efforts with our Gulf partners, the United Nations and others to create the right conditions for a ceasefire to push the parties toward a negotiated settlement to end the war in Yemen,” Lenderking said at a State Department briefing. “We do have ways of getting messages to the Houthis and we are using those channels very aggressively as we’re engaging … in person with the leadership of the key countries involved,” he continued.