The US State Department has stated that the issue of Ukraine will “absolutely not” be a topic of discussion.
The next round of US-Russia talks aimed at improving diplomatic relations is scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul, Türkiye, as confirmed by the US State Department.
Since Donald Trump assumed the US presidency, Washington and Moscow have engaged in several high-level meetings. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced earlier on Tuesday that the next round of negotiations is anticipated in the coming days.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated at a press briefing, “On April 10, US and Russian delegations will meet for a second time in Istanbul to try to make progress on further stabilizing the operations of our bilateral missions.”
The US official clarified that these discussions 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.”
She further added, “There are no political or security issues on the agenda, and Ukraine is not – absolutely not – on the agenda.”
In recent years, both Russia and the US have reduced diplomatic staff at their respective missions, implemented banking restrictions, and seized diplomatic properties. The escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022 has further heightened tensions, leading to additional restrictive measures.
Trump, in contrast to many Biden-era policies, has advocated for a swift resolution to the Ukraine conflict and a reset of bilateral ties. The initial meeting between Russian and US high-level delegations occurred in Riyadh on February 18, focusing on restoring embassy operations and easing restrictions. A subsequent meeting in Istanbul on February 27 addressed diplomatic funding and Russia’s proposal to reestablish direct flights.
Moscow reports that the venue, format, and participants for this week’s talks will remain consistent. The Russian delegation will be led by their new ambassador to Washington, Aleksandr Darchiev, while the US side will be headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Eurasian Affairs Sonata Coulter.
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