Russia, US Hold Istanbul Talks on Diplomatic Missions, Ukraine Not on Agenda

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Thursday that discussions between Russia and the United States in Istanbul were strictly focused on normalizing the work of their diplomatic missions, with no mention of the Ukraine conflict.

“These are negotiations between the Foreign Ministry and the State Department solely on the regulation and normalization of bilateral relations,” Peskov said during a press briefing in Moscow.

The second round of the diplomatic talks began earlier in the day at the residence of the Russian consul general in Istanbul and had lasted more than five hours. The previous round extended beyond six hours.

On Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce clarified that the agenda was limited to operational matters concerning embassies and consulates. “There are no political or security issues on the agenda,” she said, explicitly ruling out any discussion of Ukraine.

The Russian delegation is being led by Ambassador to the US Alexander Darchiev, while Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter is heading the US team. According to Darchiev, progress had already been made on several outstanding issues ahead of the talks.