Bilateral talks on embassy issues in Istanbul come as Trump positions himself as main broker in Ukraine peace deal.
President Vladimir Putin has expressed “hope” over the prospect of Russia restoring relations with the United States as the two countries sent diplomats to Istanbul for talks on normalising the functioning of their respective embassies in each other’s capitals.
Addressing a meeting of the Federal Security Service, Putin hailed the new administration of US President Donald Trump for its “pragmatism and realistic view”, describing a “reciprocal mood” to reset relations and resolve “systemic and strategic problems … in the world’s security architecture”.
The Russian president’s televised comments came as Moscow and Washington sent representatives to Turkiye’s commercial hub on Thursday for more than six hours of talks on thawing diplomatic relations, which had – in the Kremlin’s words – plummeted to “below zero” last year against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The talks, held at the US consul general’s residence, were aimed at resolving embassy issues, in particular the tit-for-tat measures that have seen both countries expelling diplomats and limiting the appointment of new staff at each other’s missions.
A US State Department official had earlier made it clear that Ukraine would not be on the agenda, with talks focused primarily on issues such as staffing levels, visas and diplomatic banking. “We will know soon if Russia is really willing to engage in good faith,” he said.
Neither country identified the participants, but Russia’s state news agency TASS said the Russian delegation included “foreign ministry representatives”.
US-Russia resume talks
Ties between Moscow and Washington plummeted to their lowest levels since the Cold War after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The administration of then-US President Joe Biden strongly backed Ukraine with aid and weapons and imposed sanctions on Russia over the war.
But Trump has signalled a dramatic shift in relations, holding a phone call with Putin earlier this month as part of a broader outreach effort.
Six days later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Saudi Arabia, where they agreed to start talks on the three-year Ukraine conflict – without involving Kyiv.
The rapprochement has alarmed Ukraine and its European allies, raising fears that Moscow and Washington could agree on a ceasefire deal to end the war that sidelines them and undermines their security.
Trump broached the prospect of a Ukraine deal in a sit-down in the Oval Office with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, highlighting his “very good relationship” with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukraine war talks
On Friday, Zelenskyy is expected to sign an agreement granting the US access to deposits of rare earth minerals, a deal described by Trump as a means of clawing back taxpayer dollars sent as aid to Ukraine throughout the war.
During his meeting with Starmer, Trump reiterated his opposition to providing security guarantees to Kyiv, saying that the minerals deal was the only security guarantee Ukraine needed, acting as a “backstop” against future Russian aggression.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to play around if we’re there with a lot of workers and having to do with rare earths and other things, which we need for our country,” he said.
The US president also expressed confidence that Russia, which has opposed proposals for European peacekeepers to be sent to Ukraine, would not backtrack on any peace deal.
“ Right now we don’t have a deal. We have Russia, we have Ukraine. I think we’re very well advanced. I think Russia has been acting very well,” he said.
“ I have confidence that if we make a deal, it’s gonna hold,” Trump said.