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By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
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A second round of talks between Russia and the U.S. was "constructive," the U.S. State Department said after delegations from both sides concluded discussions in Istanbul lasting nearly six hours.
The Russian delegation was headed by Aleksandr Darchiyev, the new ambassador to the U.S., while the U.S. delegation was led by Sonata Coulter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
Newsweek has contacted the State Department for comment via its website.
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Why It Matters
The meeting aimed to restore ties between the two nations, whose relationship has become severely strained due to Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Relations have thawed since President Donald Trump was sworn into office in January.
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What To Know
The U.S. delegation left the Russian consul general residence first without issuing any statements to reporters, while the Russian team stayed back to work on a "final document," Russia's state-run news agency Tass reported.
In a statement released Thursday, the U.S. State Department said Russia and the U.S. continued the "constructive approach" established during their February 27 meeting.
"The U.S. and Russian delegations exchanged notes to finalize an understanding to ensure the stability of diplomatic banking for Russian and U.S. bilateral missions," the department said.
Ahead of the discussions, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters that the war in Ukraine wouldn't be discussed.
"Ukraine is not, absolutely not on the agenda," Bruce said on Tuesday. "These talks are solely focused on our embassy operations, not on normalizing a bilateral relationship overall, which can only happen, as we've noted, once there is peace between Russia and Ukraine."
The diplomatic meeting came a week after Kirill Dmitriev, a businessman and Putin's investment envoy, announced that he was in Washington to meet Trump ally Steve Witkoff at the Russian president's request.
Meanwhile, Trump's pledge to broker peace talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war has faced significant hurdles, with both Ukraine and Russia struggling to reach mutually acceptable terms.
What People Are Saying
The State Department said in a statement of the bilateral talks in Istanbul: "The United States reiterated its concerns about the Russian Federation's policy prohibiting the employment of local staff, which is the key impediment to maintaining for stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow."
What Happens Next
Coulter and Darchiyev have discussed holding a follow-up meeting on the issues discussed on Thursday, but the details of the next meeting are yet to be determined, the State Department said.
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