Russian, U.S. diplomats to meet in Turkiye to discuss operation of embassies in Moscow, Washington

The iconic Galata Tower dominates the skyline in Istanbul, early Wednesday, May 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Diplomats from Russia and the United States will meet in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss the operation of their respective embassies in Moscow and Washington, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.

The meeting follows Russia-U.S. talks in Saudi Arabia last week that marked an extraordinary shift in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump and a clear departure from U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine.

At the talks, Moscow and Washington agreed to start working toward ending the war and improving their diplomatic and economic ties. That includes restoring the staffing at embassies, which in recent years were hit hard by mutual expulsions of large numbers of diplomats and other restrictions.

Prior to Trump’s second administration, ties between Moscow and Washington had fallen to Cold War lows after Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and invaded Ukraine in 2022.

No Ukrainian officials were present at last week’s talks. The Kremlin insisted that the meeting was about restoring relations and dialogue with the United States, something it said would pave the way for eventual peace talks.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to Qatar, Lavrov said that “diplomats of high-level experts” will meet in Istanbul on Thursday. He said they will discuss “the systemic problems that have accumulated as a result of the unlawful activities of the previous (U.S.) administration to create artificial obstacles for the work of the Russian embassy, to which we, naturally, reciprocated and also created uncomfortable conditions for the work of the American embassy in Moscow.”

Lavrov added that based on the outcome of the meeting, “it will be clear how quickly and effectively we can move forward.”

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli confirmed that a “technical level” meeting would take place between Russian and U.S. delegations in Istanbul on Thursday, but did not provide details.

Keceli also reiterated Turkey’s offer to “provide all kinds of support to peace efforts, including hosting future talks.”

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Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed.