Representatives from Russia and the United States met in Istanbul to discuss issues related to the operations of both countries’ embassies, Russian media reports.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said before the meeting that the outcome would show “how quickly and effectively” the sides can move forward. His statements indicated that Russia’s war in Ukraine would not be discussed during this meeting.
“To be clear, there are no political or security issues on the agenda. Ukraine is not on the agenda,” a State Department spokesperson confirmed by email on 26 Feb.
On 18 February in Riyadh, Russia and the United States agreed to restore the previous scale of diplomatic missions. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, while the US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Following the talks Saudi Arabia, the State Department reported that the delegations agreed to “eliminate irritants” in bilateral relations and continue work on preparing negotiations regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Russia and the United States delegations met there to discuss the war in Ukriane and also agreed to restore the previous scale of diplomatic missions. Moscow has not had an ambassador in Washington since the previous Russian representative, Anatoly Antonov, left his post in October last year.
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