Diplomats from Russia and the United States have ended their talks on resolving disputes over their respective diplomatic missions in Washington and Moscow that Russian President Vladimir Putin said "inspire certain hopes."
The two sides held more than six hours of discussions in Istanbul on February 27 focused on mending diplomatic ties that coincide with recent bilateral talks to end the Ukraine war. Those talks have raised fears the two countries may reach a peace deal without the involvement of Kyiv or Brussels.
"I note that the first contacts with the new American administration inspire certain hopes," Putin said at a meeting he was attending at the Federal Security Service (FSB).
"There is a reciprocal mood to work to restore intergovernmental ties and to gradually resolve the huge number of systemic and strategic problems that have built up in the world's security architecture."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova added that Moscow hopes the meeting will be the first in a series of expert consultations "to bring the U.S. side and us closer to settling differences, building confidence."
Speaking to reporters before the meeting, a State Department spokesperson told reporters that there were "no political or security issues on the agenda" and Ukraine, too, was not on the agenda.
Following the meeting, the State Department said U.S. representatives "raised concerns regarding access to banking and contracted services as well as the need to ensure stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow."
The statement added that Deputy Assistant Secretary Sonata Coulter and Russia's ambassador to the Washington, Aleksandr Darchiyev, agreed to hold a follow-up meeting in the near term, "with the date, location, and representation to be determined."
Five weeks after assuming office, U.S. President Donald Trump has upended his predecessor Joe Biden’s policy, which was aimed at isolating Moscow internationally for invading Ukraine three years ago.
The Istanbul discussions are part of an understanding between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. On February 18 delegations led by the two agreed in Saudi Arabia to begin discussions on diplomatic missions.
The Riyadh meeting followed a phone call between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Trump described the call as “highly productive” and announced the beginning of talks to end the war “immediately.”
SEE ALSO: What We Learned From High-Stakes U.S.-Russia Talks In Saudi ArabiaRubio said on Fox News that the U.S. delegation which went to Riyadh asked the Russians whether they wanted to end the war or continue fighting, and they agreed to a follow-up involving teams of diplomats to talk about what it would take the end the war.
“If what they insist on is unrealistic, then we know they’re not real about it. But we have to test that proposition,” Rubio said.
“We need to know, and the president wants to know early in his presidency, are the Russians interested in ending this war or are they not,” Rubio said. “President Trump has made deals his entire life. He’s not going to get suckered into a bad deal.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated a Russian position that Kyiv has said is unacceptable, suggesting that Moscow would demand that Ukraine cede its Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson regions in their entirety, including substantial parts that remain under Kyiv's control.
"The territories which have become subjects of the Russian Federation, which are inscribed in our country's constitution, are an inseparable part of our country," Peskov told reporters on February 27, referring to the regions that Russia baselessly claimed as its own in 2022. "This is undeniable and non-negotiable."
Earlier, Lavrov said the talks would focus on creating better conditions for Russian diplomats in the United States and their U.S. counterparts in Russia. The two countries have expelled diplomats and limited the appointment of new staff at each other's missions in a series of tit-for-tat measures since the war began three years ago.
The State Department spokesperson said the embassies and Russian consulates in New York and Houston would be discussed, but not Russia's mission to the United Nations.
The issues on the agenda include staffing levels, visas, diplomatic banking, and other operational issues, the spokesperson said.
Lavrov said the outcome of the talks "will show how quickly and effectively we can move."
The Istanbul talks took place a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due in Washington to sign an agreement on rare earth minerals.
SEE ALSO: Exclusive: RFE/RL Obtains Copy Of U.S.-Ukraine Minerals DealUnder the deal, Kyiv would hand some revenue from its mineral resources to a fund jointly controlled by the United States.
The agreement is central to Ukrainian attempts to win strong support from Trump as he seeks a quick end to Russia's war. Trump said Zelenskyy would sign the agreement on rare earths and other topics during his visit.