The Russian and American teams made six hours of conversations in Turkiye on Thursday to try to restore the normal functioning of their embassies, while Russian President Vladimir Putin said the initial contacts with the new administration of Donald Trump had inspired Esperanza.
The conversations, closely focused on the conditions for the diplomats of others, provided an early test of the ability of the two countries to restore broader relations, in the midst of a dissemination effort of the Trump administration that has alarmed Washington European and Kiev Kiev.
Last year, Kremlin described relations as “below zero” under the administration of Joe Biden, who backed Ukraine with help and weapons and imposed waves of sanctions on Russia to punish him for his invasion in 2022.
But his successor, President Donald Trump, has overturned that policy and moved quickly since he assumed the position last month to open conversations with Moscow, promising to fulfill his repeated promise to put a quick end to war.
The conversations in Istanbul follow a phone call between Trump and President Vladimir Putin on February 12 and a high -level diplomatic meeting in Saudi Arabia six days later.
Russian State News Agency Tassel Said today’s conversations, held at the closed residence of the consul of the United States in Istanbul, wrapped after about six hours without any press statement.
Ukraine and his European allies are concerned that Trump’s rapid approach with Moscow can lead to an agreement to end the war that left them and undermines their safety. Trump says he wants to end blood spill with a high early fire.
This week, Putin modified the expectations of a fast treatment, saying that confidence between Russia and the United States had to be rebuilt before something could be achieved.
But in the comments televised to the members of the FSB security service today, he said: “I observe that the first contacts with the new US administration inspire certain hopes.
“There is a reciprocal mood to work to restore intergovernmental ties and gradually solve the large number of systemic and strategic problems that have accumulated in the security architecture of the world.”
The spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that Istanbul’s conversations were expected to be the first of a series of contacts aimed at generating trust and eliminating “irritating” in bilateral relations.
In an example of judicial cooperation, Russia’s Office of the Attorney General said that Dmitry Koshelev, searched by Moscow on suspicion of stealing $ 1.5 million of a messaging service at gunpoint in 2014, deported from the United States today.
The Russian team reached a black Mercedes truck for the meeting at the closed residence of the United States General Consul in Istanbul.
“No one expects the solutions to be easy and fast. The problem in question is too complex and careless, ”said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, to journalists today.
“But with the political will of the two countries, with the will to listen and listen to us, I think we can overcome this work process.”
Russia, USA. We have reduced ties during the last decade
Russia and the United States have expelled diplomats and have limited the appointment of new employees in each of each one in Tit-For-OT measures during the last decade, leaving their embassies with personnel.
The United States Department of State said that today’s conversations would cover problems such as personnel, visas and diplomatic banking levels.
“To be clear, there are no political or security problems on the agenda. Ukraine is not on the agenda, ”said a state department spokesman before the meeting.
“The construction of these conversations will be evident very quickly; Or the problems will be solved or will not. Soon we will know if Russia is really willing to participate in good faith. “
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the result of the meeting “will show how fast and effectively we can move.”
He acknowledged that Russia had “created uncomfortable conditions” for US diplomats in Moscow, in what he said was retaliation for Washington’s treatment to Russian diplomats.
Despite their limited approach, conversations could eventually lead to progress over the entire relationship of Russia-United States in areas such as nuclear disarmament and economic cooperation.
Both parties see the potential of lucrative companies. Putin said this week that Moscow would be ready to invite the US.
Peskov said there could be a joint development of natural resources in the Arctic, although there were still no substantive conversations about this.
The US delegation in Istanbul was directed by the Deputy Secretary of State of the Sonata Coulter and the Russian team for Alexander Darchiyev, head of the Department of America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Darchiyev is seen as the favorite as the next Ambassador of Russia in the United States, a position that is currently vacant.
