The bilateral talks on the issue of the embassy in Istanbul are as Trump has established himself as the leading broker in the Ukrainian peace agreement.
President Vladimir Putin has expressed “hope” about the prospect of Russia recovering ties with the United States as the two countries sent diplomats to Istanbul to normalize the functions of their respective embassies in each of their capitals.
President Putin attended a Federal Security Agency meeting, welcoming US President Donald Trump’s new administration with “pragmatism and realistic views” and described the “mutual mood” to resolve “systematic and strategic issues” in global security architecture.
The Russian president’s televised comments came in for more than six hours of consultations on diplomatic relations that Moscow and Washington sent representatives to Turkiye’s commercial hub on Thursday, and in the words of the Kremlin, about diplomatic relations that plunged to “below zero” last year against the backdrop of Russian war in Ukraine.
The speech, held in the US Consul General’s residence, was aimed at resolving the issues of the embassy, particularly the measures of The-for-TAT, in which both countries expel diplomats and limiting the appointment of new staff on each other’s missions.
US State Department officials have previously made clear that Ukraine will not be on the agenda, focusing primarily on staffing levels, visas and diplomatic banking issues. “We will soon know if Russia is truly happy to be engaged in sincerity,” he said.
Neither country identified participants, but the Russian state news agency TASS said the Russian delegation includes “representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
US-Russia Resume Talks
Moscow and Washington relations 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 supported Ukraine with aid and weapons, imposing sanctions on Russia in the war.
But Trump has shown dramatic changes in relations, calling Putin earlier this month as part of a broader outreach effort.
Six days later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Saudi Arabia, where they agreed to commence a three-year consultation on the Ukrainian conflict without involving Kiev.
The settlement warned Ukraine and its European allies, raising fears that Moscow and Washington could stand by on the sidelines and agree to a ceasefire contract to end the war that undermined their security.
Trump broached the outlook for a Ukrainian contract in a sit-in with British Kiel Starmer on Thursday in an oval office, highlighting the “very good relationship” between Putin and Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky.
Lectures on the Ukrainian War
On Friday, Zelensky is expected to sign a contract that grants the US access to rare earth mineral deposits described as a way to recognise taxpayers dollars sent to Ukraine as aid during the war.
During his talks with priorities, Trump repeatedly opposed to providing security assurances to Kiev, saying that the mineral trade is the only security guarantee Ukraine needs and would serve as a “backstop” against future Russian invasions.
“I don’t think anyone will play if we’re with a lot of workers and it has something to do with the rare earths and other things that our country needs,” he said.
The US president also expressed confidence that Russia, opposed the proposal that European peacekeeping forces would be sent to Ukraine, would not betray the peace deal.
“We don’t have a deal right now. We have Russia, we have Ukraine. I think we’re very advanced. I think Russia is acting very well,” he said.
“I’m sure if we do a deal, it will be held,” Trump said.
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