Russia, US diplomats to meet in Istanbul on Thursday

Russian and US diplomats will meet in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss resolving issues related to their embassies, Russia’s foreign minister said, amid easing relations between the two countries.

US President Donald Trump has upended US foreign policy since coming to office last month, reaching out to President Vladimir Putin and initiating high-level talks with Moscow for the first time in over three years.

The latest meeting will focus on resolving diplomatic issues, after both countries expelled embassy staff from the other during former US President Joe Biden’s administration.

“Such a meeting will take place tomorrow in Istanbul. I think that its results will show how quickly and effectively we can move forward,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday on a visit to Qatar.

Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on February 18 in the Saudi capital Riyadh, where they agreed to kickstart talks on the Ukraine war without Kyiv.

Both sides have since moved closer while sidelining Ukraine.

Last Wednesday, Trump branded his Ukrainian counterpart a “dictator” and called for him to “move fast” to end the war.

The United States sided with Russia twice Monday in votes at the United Nations, as it sought to avoid condemnation of Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour three years ago.