KEY POINTS
- Russia-US talks in Istanbul concluded after over five hours on Thursday
- The talks were focused on restoring diplomatic missions
- The results of the talks will be announced later by foreign ministers of both countries
- Talks excluded the Ukraine war, focusing strictly on embassy operations
- Russia raised issues including the possible resumption of direct flights
- Further talks are possible depending on diplomatic progress, Russian media
ISTANBUL, Turkey: The second round of talks between Russia and the United States concluded on Thursday afternoon in Istanbul, lasting over five hours, according to Russian state media.
The talks focused on restoring the operational capacity of diplomatic missions that have been severely impacted since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022.
The meeting was held at the Russian Consul General’s residence in Istanbul. Russia’s delegation was led by Alexander Darchiev, recently appointed as Ambassador to the United States and former head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s North American Department.
The US side was headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Sonata Coulter.
Russian news agency TASS reported that the US delegation was the first to leave the venue without speaking to the press. The outcome of the talks is expected to be released later by the foreign ministries of both countries, TASS reported.
This was the second round of consultations between Washington and Moscow this year, following a six-hour closed-door session held on 27 February in Istanbul.
Ahead of the latest round, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that the agenda was strictly limited to “further stabilising the operations of their bilateral missions,” including embassies and consulates.
“The talks are solely focused on our embassy operations, not on normalising the broader bilateral relationship,” Bruce told reporters on Tuesday, reiterating that discussions on the war in Ukraine were not on the agenda.
“Ukraine is not, absolutely not on the agenda,” she said.
Russia’s Ambassador Darchiev also confirmed to RIA Novosti that the talks aimed to address issues including the possible restoration of direct flights, which Washington suspended after the Russia-Ukraine war.
He acknowledged some progress had been made in resolving ongoing disputes regarding embassy operations.
The meeting in Istanbul came shortly after a high-profile prisoner swap, in which Moscow released US-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a post on social media platform X, said Karelina was “on a plane back home” after President Donald Trump secured her release.
American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States.
She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. @POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 10, 2025
She had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason over a donation to a charity supporting Ukraine.
Karelina was exchanged for Russian-German national Arthur Petrov, who had been detained in Cyprus in 2023 on a US extradition request for allegedly exporting dual-use electronics.
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The exchange was facilitated through the mediation of the United Arab Emirates and took place at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the CIA Director John Ratcliffe negotiated the swap and personally greeted Karelina at the airport.
This marks the second prisoner exchange since President Trump took office in January.
In February, Russia released detained American teacher Marc Fogel during a visit to Moscow by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who also met President Vladimir Putin.
The diplomatic talks in Istanbul are part of a cautious attempt to revive official contacts between the two nuclear powers.
Russian media reports suggest that further rounds of talks could be held, depending on the outcome of this session and developments in diplomatic negotiations between the two sides.
