Istanbul (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Thursday, U.S. and Russian delegations reportedly met in Istanbul to discuss normalising the operations of their diplomatic missions, following the war in Ukraine, which has led to the most significant confrontation between Moscow and the West since the height of the Cold War.
The discussions will be led by Russia’s new ambassador to the US, Alexander Darchiev, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter, Russia’s foreign ministry stated.
What is the impact of diplomatic freezes on both sides?
In recent years, both Moscow and Washington have voiced concerns over the challenges faced in securing credentials for their diplomats, which has made running their embassies very challenging.
Russia has indicated that compensating its diplomats has become challenging due to Western sanctions, whereas U.S. diplomats report restrictions on their movements within Russia. Both parties have expressed concerns about intimidation, with one of the main issues being diplomatic property.
Washington has imposed restrictions on six Russian properties, which include the Killenworth estate in Long Island, the Pioneer Point dacha in Maryland, the Russian consulates located in San Francisco and Seattle, as well as the trade missions in Washington and New York.
What does the US-Russia talks in Istanbul focus on?
The primary emphasis, according to Moscow and Washington, is reviving the work of diplomatic missions after years of rows, mutual claims of intimidation and even the freezing of diplomatic property complicated relations between the two nuclear powers.
“Ukraine is not, absolutely not on the agenda,”
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce expressed on Tuesday.
“These talks are solely focused on our embassy operations, not on normalising a bilateral relationship overall, which can only happen, as we’ve noted, once there is peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
Are embassy issues bringing Moscow and Washington closer?
Previously, following the deal between Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov to initiate discussions on issues affecting the operations of respective diplomatic missions, delegations from both nations met on February 27 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Russian and U.S. teams conducted six hours of discussions in Turkey aimed at reinstating the normal operation of their embassies, and Vladimir Putin said initial contacts with Donald Trump’s new administration had inspired hope.
The discussions, which concentrated specifically on the conditions for each country’s diplomats, served as an initial examination of the two nations’ capability to realign broader relations, amidst a Trump administration initiative that has raised concerns among Washington’s European partners and Kyiv.
