Русский
Update: March 1
The United States has finally approved the appointment of Alexander Darchiev as the new Russian Ambassador to Washington, after months with the role being vacant. Other comments from Moscow suggest Russia-US diplomatic work is finally getting back to normal after several years of disruption. Darchiev is a highly respected Russian diplomat with extensive experience in North America and Europe.
Russian and United States diplomats have been holding talks in Istanbul, as both sides try to repair bilateral communications and trust after years of the Biden administration creating difficulties in attempting to politically isolate both the Russian people and the Russian President and government from involvement in international affairs. The discussions are mostly about Embassy and Ambassadorial relations in both countries. For example, there is currently no Russian Ambassador in Washington, while the United States closed the Russian consulates in San Francisco and Seattle and the Russian trade mission in New York. They also took the unprecedented step of confiscating Russian diplomatic properties in the United States. The US currently has an Ambassador in Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he raised the property issue in Russia-US talks in Riyadh on February 18, and that restoring these and bilateral communication ties were the first round of any rapprochement. He stated that “We talked about removing artificial obstacles that seriously complicate the daily functioning of our embassies and consulates general, including issues with diplomatic financing and restrictions on movements, numbers and length of stay of diplomats.” These current discussions are attempting to bridge the current diplomatic chasm.
Officials have been tight-lipped about the Istanbul talks, which have been taking place at the US Consulate. On Thursday (February 27) talks between the Russian and US delegations on embassy work issues lasted over six and a half hours, but ended without comments from either side. These discussions remain on-going.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that information on the results of the talks “will be provided in one way or another.” There will be a lot of ground to cover before any Putin-Trump summit can take place.
Further Reading
Lavrov Meets Erdogan In Turkiye To Discuss Ukraine, Syria & Trade: Details
