The United States and Russia meet in Istanbul to take the first steps towards diplomatic stabilisation
Donald Trump's arrival as President of the United States has generated controversy and confidence in equal measure in the Kremlin. With the aim of ending the bloodshed in the conflict that has now lasted more than three years, the US position is clear: dialogue and negotiation.
In this context and following a telephone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on 12 February, and the meeting in Riyadh between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, on 18 February; delegations from both countries met for the third time on 27 February at the residence of the US Consul General in Istanbul.
The last time the presidents of Russia and the United States met face to face was at the 2019 G20 summit in Osaka.
Despite the secrecy that has been attempted with regard to those attending the meeting, the official website of the US Secretary of State confirmed that the US delegation was headed by Sonata Coulter, Assistant Secretary of State for Russia and Central Europe, and the Russian delegation was headed by the director of the North Atlantic Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aleksandr Darchiyev.
📹 La delegación rusa llegó al lugar de las negociaciones con la delegación estadounidense en Estambul
🇷🇺🇺🇸 #RusiaEEUU pic.twitter.com/owvdGrt7l4— Cancillería de Rusia 🇷🇺 (@mae_rusia) February 27, 2025
In the communiqué issued by the State Department, the US expressed its concern about access to banking services, as well as the need to ensure a stable and sustainable staffing level at the US Embassy in Moscow.
Through constructive talks, both parties identified specific initial measures to stabilise the operations of the bilateral mission in these areas. As a result, Coulter and Darchiyev agreed to hold a new meeting, the date, place and representation of which is yet to be determined.
For the White House, the talks, both by telephone and the one that took place with Russian representatives in Saudi Arabia, are a sign from both countries that there is a common consensus aimed at peace. On the other hand, Moscow insists that Russia has never refused to engage in dialogue.
Initial Russian reactions
After the meeting, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said from the Kremlin press room that she hoped the talks between Moscow and Washington regarding diplomatic missions would lead to a strengthening of trust and the normalisation of bilateral relations.
‘There is a mutual spirit of work to re-establish intergovernmental ties and gradually resolve the enormous number of systemic and strategic problems that have accumulated in the global security architecture,’ Vladimir Putin.
Prior to the meeting, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said: ‘You see, we all see how the situation in the world is changing rapidly. In this sense, I note that the first contacts with the new US administration instil a certain hope’.
In contrast, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the conflict with Ukraine was not discussed, but that ‘systemic problems regarding the work in the Russian Embassies in the United States and vice versa were discussed’.
In turn, Dmitri Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, insisted that the problem in question is very complex and is being neglected. He added: ‘What we are seeing is that President Trump talks and is willing to listen to others’.
