Bilateral talks on embassy issues in Istanbul come as Trump positions himself as main broker in Ukraine peace deal.
Published On 27 Feb 2025
President Vladimir Putin has expressed “hope” over the prospect of Russia restoring relations with the United States as the two countries sent diplomats to Istanbul for talks on normalising the functioning of their respective embassies in each other’s capitals.
Addressing a meeting of the Federal Security Service, Putin hailed the new administration of US President Donald Trump for its “pragmatism and realistic view”, describing a “reciprocal mood” to reset relations and resolve “systemic and strategic problems … in the world’s security architecture”.
The Russian president’s televised comments came as Moscow and Washington sent representatives to Turkiye’s commercial hub on Thursday for more than six hours of talks on thawing diplomatic relations, which had – in the Kremlin’s words – plummeted to “below zero” last year against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The talks, held at the US consul general’s residence, were aimed at resolving embassy issues, in particular the tit-for-tat measures that have seen both countries expelling diplomats and limiting the appointment of new staff at each other’s missions.
A US State Department official had earlier made it clear that Ukraine would not be on the agenda, with talks focused primarily on issues such as staffing levels, visas and diplomatic banking. “We will know soon if Russia is really willing to engage in good faith,” he said.
Neither country identified the participants, but Russia’s state news agency TASS said the Russian delegation included “foreign ministry representatives”.
US-Russia resume talks
Ties between Moscow and Washington plummeted to their lowest levels since