US and Russia to Meet in Istanbul for Diplomatic Talks

istanbul, turkey - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that the US and Russia will meet in Istanbul to discuss reopening mutual embassies with the Ukrainian crisis on the agenda.

US and Russia Diplomatic Talks in Istanbul

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed that diplomatic talks between the US and Russia will take place in Istanbul to discuss reopening embassies and addressing the Ukrainian crisis. The process, which started with a phone call between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on February 12, followed by a meeting of the two countries' foreign ministers in Riyadh on February 18, continues today in Istanbul.

The Russian side has stated that the Istanbul talks will only cover bilateral relations, but the Ukrainian conflict is also expected to be a significant topic on the agenda.

Trump-Putin Summit in Istanbul?

The process that began in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, has now shifted to Istanbul after Lavrov's visit to Ankara earlier this week. According to political observers in Russia, there are discussions about a potential Trump-Putin summit in Istanbul in the future.

Lavrov, speaking in Doha, Qatar, yesterday, mentioned that the issues arising from the illegal actions of the US during the Biden administration, which created artificial obstacles to the functioning of the Russian Embassy in Washington, will be discussed in the Istanbul meeting.

Russian Intelligence Delegation Arriving

Reports from the Kremlin suggest that the Russian delegation will include Deputy Foreign Ministers and Sergey Naryshkin, the head of the foreign intelligence service SVR, indicating that broader topics including Ukraine will be addressed in Istanbul.

As expectations rise, the US is also looking for concessions from Russia. Trump, who has been constantly giving in to Russia since February 12, recently expressed the need for Russia to announce the concessions and steps it is prepared to take to end the conflict in Ukraine.

New Istanbul Process?

The Istanbul talks are being perceived as preparation for the Trump-Putin summit by the press, with questions directed at Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov regarding whether the meetings serve as preparation for new contacts between the leaders. Peskov mentioned that the normalization process with the US is just beginning, but new contacts are not out of the question if issues requiring leader intervention emerge.

The US has not yet announced who will represent them in the bilateral talks in Istanbul. Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, suggested that bringing the Ukraine conflict negotiations back to the Istanbul table in 2022 would be a wise decision.