The Russian Federation and the United States held constructive talks in Istanbul. What you need to know

Russia and The United States held a meeting in Istanbul on the resumption of normal embassy operations. An agreement to start discussing this issue was reached earlier at the talks in Saudi Arabia. The US State Department called the conversation productive. What else the parties discussed and the current state of the diplomatic missions of the two countries can be found in the Izvestia article.

What preceded the meeting

- Even before the first high-level meeting of the Russian and US delegations in a long time took place in Riyadh on February 18, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that it was necessary to resolve bilateral issues related to the work of the embassies in Moscow and Washington. According to him, established communication channels will help in discussing the Ukrainian settlement.

- At the meeting in Saudi Arabia, the parties agreed to appoint ambassadors as soon as possible and begin consultations on removing restrictions on the activities of diplomatic missions. Rubio stressed that restoring the normal operation of embassies would be the "next stage" of the negotiation process between the two countries.

- The Secretary of State also noted that it is possible to establish work "pretty quickly." According to him, we should talk not only about appointing ambassadors, but also about expanding the diplomatic corps and reopening consulates.

How the negotiations in Istanbul went

- On February 26, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that the Russian and US delegations would hold talks in Istanbul the next day. They will be devoted specifically to the issue of the return of embassies to their normal functioning. Other topics were not planned to be discussed. The composition of the delegations was not disclosed. According to Lavrov, it will bring together "high-level diplomats and experts."

- The meeting was organized at the residence of the U.S. Consul General in Istanbul. It took place in a format closed to the press and lasted 6.5 hours. During the meeting, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, indicated that "representatives of the Foreign Ministry who are responsible for Russian-American relations" were participating in it.

- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that certain information would be provided following the talks. At the same time, he suggested "not to get ahead of ourselves". When the meeting ended, the participants left the residence without comment.

- Later, the US State Department reported that the discussion was constructive, both sides identified specific initial steps to stabilize bilateral missions. Issues of access to banking and contract services, as well as ensuring a stable staffing level of the Embassy in Moscow were raised. The ministry noted that the delegations were led by Sonata Coulter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Russia and Central Europe, and Alexander Darchiev, Director of the North Atlantic Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry. They agreed to hold a second meeting, its date and place have not yet been determined.

The state of the diplomatic missions of the two countries

- Currently, the embassies of the United States and Russia continue their work, but on a much less significant scale than it was 10 years ago. The diplomatic staff of both diplomatic missions has been reduced, and a number of consulates have been closed. Back in 2016, amid accusations of interference in the American elections, the administration of US President Barack Obama revoked the accreditation of five of the six honorary consuls of the Russian Federation, and later expelled 35 diplomats.

- In 2017, after another tightening of sanctions, the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that Washington continue to employ as many American diplomats in Russia as Russian diplomats in the United States. Thus, 755 Americans left at the same time, and the corps of the two missions, including consulates, was reduced to 455 people. In the future, the United States tightened its requirements and continued to expel Russian diplomats, which was met with mirror actions from the Russian side.

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- Over time, most of the consular offices of the two countries were closed — the American ones in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok, as well as the Russian ones in Seattle. In addition to the embassies, only the Consulates General of the Russian Federation in New York and Houston continue to operate. Officially, the Russian ambassador to the United States has not yet been appointed, Anatoly Antonov held this position until October 2024.

- By August 2021, the staff of the American Embassy in Moscow had been reduced to 120 people, despite maintaining the permitted quota of 455 people. In this regard, the United States refused to issue almost all types of visas, except for diplomatic and urgent immigration visas, inviting applicants to apply to diplomatic missions in other countries. In 2024, the United States closed Russian visa centers in Washington and New York, so the issuance of visas to American citizens continues through the embassy and consulates.