USA and Russia hold positive talks in Istanbul
Delegations from Russia and the USA met in Istanbul for a second round of talks. The talks are "aimed at normalizing the operations of their diplomatic missions, following years of tit-for-tat expulsions amid strained bilateral ties" after years of tensions.
The Thursday meeting in Istanbul continues discussions following years of mutual expulsions of diplomats, which were the result of strained relations between the two countries.
According to Reuters, before the closed meeting at the Russian consulate in Istanbul, several vehicles were seen. The talks included the new Russian Ambassador to the USA, Alexander Darchiyev, and the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Russia and Central Europe, Sonata Coulter.
A source close to the Russian delegation told TASS that the atmosphere was "positive," and the meeting was expected to last "several hours, but likely not as long as the last meeting in Istanbul" on Feb. 27, which lasted six hours.
Background of the USA - Russia talks
The decision to initiate talks regarding the embassies was made after a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia on February 18th.
This was the first high-level meeting between these countries since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The US State Department emphasized that the talks in Istanbul focus solely on the functioning of diplomatic missions and do not address broader political or security issues.
"There are no political or security issues on the agenda and Ukraine is absolutely not on the agenda," said State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
It’s important to note that US President Donald Trump, since taking office in January, has been seeking to reset relations with Moscow and has initiated several rounds of talks with Russian officials.
