The second-ranking US diplomat, Victoria Nuland, met Niger’s military leaders in an effort to reverse a coup that ousted democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum but reported no progress after an ignored ultimatum from ECOWAS.

On Monday, the second-ranking US diplomat met Niger’s military leaders to press to reverse a coup but reported no headway, a day after an ultimatum from the West African bloc ECOWAS was ignored.

Victoria Nuland, a veteran envoy and acting deputy Secretary of State, said she met for over two hours with military chiefs who ousted democratically elected Western ally Mohamed Bazoum on July 26th.

Nuland’s trip, conducted in secrecy until she left, came after the expiration of a deadline set by ECOWAS to reinstate Bazoum by midnight on Sunday or risk military intervention.

The 15-nation bloc is reconvening for its diplomatic push on the crisis, with a summit Thursday in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

A source close to ECOWAS said an immediate military intervention to restore Bazoum was not envisaged at this stage, adding that the path to dialogue still appeared open.

Speaking to reporters before her departure, Nuland described her talks as “extremely frank and at times quite difficult.”

She said she offered the coup leaders “a number of options” to exit the crisis and restore the relationship with the United States, which, like other Western nations, has suspended aid.

She added that the coup leaders did not respond to her requests to meet Niger’s self-proclaimed new leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, or the detained elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. However, US officials have been in touch with Bazoum by telephone.

Nuland said she met Brigadier General Moussa Salaou Barmou, who has been named the new military chief of staff and who has worked closely in the past with the United States, which, along with former colonial power France, has based anti-jihadist operations in the Sahel out of Niger.

Nuland warned Niger against following neighboring Mali in bringing in Russia’s Wagner mercenaries.

Miroslava Salazar, with AFP