Russia seeks to erase a 'toxic legacy' in new talks with the US.
The talks will focus on restoring bilateral diplomatic relations, not the Ukraine conflict, officials said.
Russian and American diplomatic delegations met in Istanbul, Türkiye on April 10th for closed-door talks.
The Russian delegation was led by Alexandr Darchiev, Moscow's newly appointed ambassador to Washington. The US side was represented by Sonata Coulter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that both sides are focusing on “removing numerous obstacles, including technical issues, that are complicating diplomatic activity.”
According to Ambassador Darchiev, Moscow wants to erase the “toxic legacy of the previous US administration.” In particular, he emphasized the need for a “serious discussion” on the return of diplomatic facilities seized by the US – “a key condition” for restoring normal bilateral relations.
According to Darchiev, issues concerning visa and financial restrictions, and the freedom of movement for diplomats, constitute a "bottleneck of problems."
"Currently, the Russian and American delegations are coordinating to resolve this impasse," he said.
A short video released by Russian media on April 10 showed a car entering the gate of the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul.
US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters ahead of the meeting that, “these talks are focused solely on the operations of our embassy, and are not aimed at normalizing bilateral relations, which can only happen – as we have stressed – when there is peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
According to Bruce, the two sides had no intention of discussing any political or security issues, including the Ukraine conflict.
A source familiar with the matter told TASS that the meeting is expected to last a few hours, but may be shorter than the previous round of talks on February 27.
These new negotiations come after US President Donald Trump actively promoted diplomacy with Russia, including diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the Ukraine conflict. As a result, Washington and Moscow have gradually restored channels of communication – which were almost completely severed for about three years under former US President Joe Biden.
