Delegations from the United States and Russia met in Istanbul on April 10 for talks regarding the restoration of the functioning of their embassies.
The respective embassies of both countries reduced staff after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The talks, the second of their kind, were held after US President Donald Trump, upon taking office in January, called for improved relations with Russia and at the same time an end to the war in Ukraine.
Washington has renewed concerns about Russia over rules that prohibit local staff from working at its embassy in Moscow, rules that Russia adopted in 2021.
In a statement after the talks, the US State Department said the delegations advanced towards formalizing an agreement on banking access for diplomats from both countries, despite US sanctions on Russia.
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have made friendly statements about each other, but recently the American leader has expressed anger with the Kremlin over the little progress made in Washington's efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
The Russian ambassador to the US, Alexander Darchiev, who attended the talks, told Russian state media that the talks were held "in a positive atmosphere."
He stated that the parties have agreed to "ease" the rules regarding the movement of diplomats and the issuance of visas for envoys of the respective states.
"The Russian side stressed that the priority is the rapid return of diplomatic real estate confiscated by the US authorities, property belonging to the Russian Federation," he said, according to the TASS agency.
He is also quoted as saying that the Russian delegation has requested the resumption of flights between Moscow and Washington.
Previously, the US State Department stated that the talks would focus only on bilateral US-Russia relations and that the war in Ukraine would not be discussed in Istanbul.
"There are no political or security issues on the agenda, Ukraine is not on the agenda," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Tuesday.
Since Trump returned to the White House, American and Russian officials have been engaged in talks on a range of issues, from negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine to restoring economic and diplomatic ties.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the diplomatic missions of both countries have been operating with a small number of staff due to the expulsions of diplomats./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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