Russian and U.S. diplomats held talks in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss normalizing the operation of their respective embassies after years expelling each others' diplomats. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the talks in Istanbul followed an understanding reached during President Donald Trump's call with Russian President

US officials will meet with their Russian counterparts in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Thursday, 27 February, to discuss embassy operations, though the issue of Ukraine will not be tackled. Source: Reuters,

By Jonathan Spicer and Mark Trevelyan ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Turkey on Thursday for talks to resolve disputes over their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, a first test of their ability to reset wider relations and work towards ending the war in Ukraine.

US State Department says Ukraine war not on agenda at meetings, which will instead focus on staffing levels at embassies, visas and diplomatic banking

Russian and US officials meet in Istanbul to discuss resolving embassy issues as the countries aim to restore ties.

Russian and U.S. diplomats will meet in Istanbul on Thursday for talks aimed at restoring their respective diplomatic missions, seen as a step towards ending the war in Ukraine, both sides said on Wednesday.

While the scope of the talks is narrow and will not include Ukraine, they will provide a test of both sides' seriousness about repairing their relations and working to end the war. The meeting follows a phone call between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Feb.

A Russian delegation arrived at the U.S. consul general's residence in Istanbul on Thursday for talks with American officials to address

Ukraine will not be on the agenda when U.S. and Russian officials meet in Istanbul on Thursday for talks over the operation of their respective diplomatic missions, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Russian and US diplomats have met in Turkey for talks to resolve disputes over the work of their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, a first test of their ability to reset wider relations and work towards ending the war in Ukraine.