U.S. and Russian diplomats met Thursday in Istanbul, looking for ways to smooth their embassy relationships in Moscow and Washington after frequent expulsion of each other’s diplomats and three years of American opposition to Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

MOSCOW — Russia has offered the United States to restore direct air links between the two countries during the latest round of consultations with Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Moscow and Washington have agreed on joint measures aimed at ensuring the uninterrupted financing of diplomatic missions in both countries, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.Russian and US delegations held talks in Istanbul,

Russian and U.S. diplomats have held talks in Istanbul to discuss ways to normalize the operation of their embassies after diplomatic expulsions.

US officials will meet with their Russian counterparts in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Thursday, 27 February, to discuss embassy operations, though the issue of Ukraine will not be tackled. Source: Reuters,

Moscow expects that today's expert consultations with the United States in Istanbul will strengthen trust between Moscow and Washington and bring the parties closer to overcoming differences. This was stated at a briefing by the official representative of the Russian Foreign

As part of efforts to normalize relations between Washington and Moscow, a Russian delegation arrived at the US Consulate General residence in Istanbul for a meeting to discuss operation of their respective embassies. The Russian delegation reached the residence in Istanbul at 09.50 a.m. local time (0650 GMT).