US-Russia meeting in Istanbul: Agenda and what's known so far

Key takeaways:

• The meeting between the US and Russia started in Istanbul at 10:00 a.m. Kyiv time.
• The talks will last several hours and will be shorter than the previous ones (February 27).
• The Russian delegation is headed by Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev.
• The American delegation is led by Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Sonata Coulter.
• They discuss improving diplomatic relations and the functioning of embassies.
• The issue of the war in Ukraine is not on the agenda.
• The meeting will be closed.
• Russia seeks to restore direct flights with the United States. Ambassador Darchiev announced this issue as one of the main in the consultations.

Updated 12:56 p.m. The parties have taken a break for lunch. In total, the meeting has been ongoing for three hours.

Updated 12:17 p.m. Kyiv time. Pro-Kremlin media outlets claim that the talks between the Russian and US delegations in Istanbul have “reached the middle.”

Russian propagandists write that the parties have allegedly “discussed a significant part of the agenda” and that “the discussions are calm and constructive.” In total, the talks could take 4-5 hours.

The United States has not yet commented on the ongoing negotiations with Russia.

What to know about the new meeting

The start of the US-Russia talks was reported by pro-Kremlin media at 10:00 a.m. Kyiv time. Russian propaganda claims that the consultations “will last several hours,” but will be shorter than the previous meeting of the Russian and US delegations, which took place on February 27, also in Istanbul, and lasted more than six hours.

The composition of the participants remained the same as in that previous consultation. The Russian delegation is headed by Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev, and the American delegation is headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Sonata Coulter.

The talks will focus on improving diplomatic relations and the work of diplomatic missions in both countries.

Ukraine and the Russian invasion will not be discussed at these talks, both sides said earlier.

How the first talks ended

The results of the meeting on February 27 in Istanbul were not made public. The talks were also held in a closed format. The United States then stated that steps had been “outlined to normalize the work of the diplomatic missions of the two countries.”

The Kremlin is trying hard in its negotiations with Washington to get sanctions eased or lifted. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that it had proposed to the American side to resume direct flights between the two countries.

The new Russian ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, said that Russia would raise the issue of resuming direct flights with the United States “in a practical way” at consultations in Istanbul.

Direct flights between the United States and Russia, like many countries with Russia, were suspended after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, commenting on the resumption of air travel, said he “does not understand who will fly if the Russians are under sanctions.”

In parallel, the United States is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war. Trump calls this “shuttle diplomacy.”

As part of these negotiations, the United States managed to agree on a partial 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. However, Moscow, in its usual manner, flouts the rules and continues to violate the agreement by attacking peaceful Ukrainian cities, including energy facilities.

Read more about the matter in a separate RBC-Ukraine article “Putin’s power play: How Russia delaying peace in Ukraine and forcing Trump’s hand”.