US and Russian diplomats held talks in Istanbul on Thursday about the issues impacting the work of their respective embassies as Washington and Moscow are looking to get diplomatic relations back on track.
According to the Russian news agency TASS, the talks ended after six and a half hours. Valentina Matvienko, speaker of the upper house of Russia’s parliament, said the talks should help restore the “full-fledged work of our diplomatic missions.”
“I’m sure that the agreements will be reached and we will return to civilized communication, which was disrupted by the previous administration,” Matvienko said, according to The Associated Press.
The talks in Istanbul followed up a meeting in Saudi Arabia on February 18 that involved high-level US and Russian officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. During that meeting, the two sides agreed to normalize relations and work to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the renewed dialogue between the US and Russia “inspires certain hopes.”
“There is reciprocal determination to work toward the restoration of relations between the countries, a gradual solution of the colossal backlog of systemic, strategic problems in the world architecture,” Putin said, according to TASS.
The Russian leader said the current US administration has demonstrated “pragmatism, a realistic view of things, and are abandoning many stereotypes, the so-called rules and messianic ideological cliches of their predecessors, which, essentially, were the reasons that led to the crisis of the entire system of international relations.”
While both Putin and Trump seem eager to reduce tensions, it remains unclear when the war in Ukraine might come to an end. Trump is hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a mineral deal on Friday and has said US military shipments to Ukraine will likely continue until a deal is reached with Russia.
What a great step forward this is, of course, Biden was not capable of being a constructive leader and doing that.
Yes, it's great. My goal is to stop the war machine, the killing. So many around whom that is not their goal. 1.6 million within 30 kilometers of frontline do not have basic services. War makes it impossible.
Your whole argument is Drumpf better than Biden
Its kinda sad, thats the only thing you have going for you in your argument
The real argument is the BidIdiot better than Trump.
The content of the talks between the USA and Russia only revolve around normal diplomatic relations.
https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-russia/
https://russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/columns/military-and-security/u-s-russia-diplomatic-relations-restored-a-game-changer-for-global-stability/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/russian-diplomat-says-u-s-russia-relations-are-in-an-unprecedented-crisis
https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/fundamental_documents/1860586/ The Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/27/putin-hopeful-as-russia-and-us-negotiate-diplomatic-reset
https://www.wilsonquarterly.com/quarterly/_/the-united-states-relationship-with-russia
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-are-us-russia-relations-so-challenging/
https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2019/06/thirty-years-of-us-policy-toward-russia-can-the-vicious-circle-be-broken?lang=en
https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2020/06/us-russian-relations-in-2030?lang=en
https://www.csis.org/analysis/us-russia-relations-crossroads
They should separate those two issues: the normalization of relations and the war in Ukraine.
The normalization can be achieved in a couple of weeks providing there is a mutual good will. Reduction of the risk of WW III is the most important issue, and it concerns the whole world.
The problem of the war in Ukraine is more complicated and can't be solved so quick. It is almost impossible to imagine that Kiev regime and it's western sponsors would decide to give up the major towns of contested Ukrainian regions without fighting. Definitely, Russia also can't give them up. The biggest of them is Zaporozhie. It is a city with about a half of million population. If Ukrainian army and all it's NATO mercenaries and advisors just take their things and go away to the west, it'll look like a capitulation. And there is also town Kherson which at the moment is separated from Russian army by river Dnepr.
Of course, NATO strategists are hoping to achieve a ceasefire, but as it was repeatedly confirmed, Russia has no interest whatsoever in any temporary ceasefire. So the fighting will continue.
Agreed, the "kinetic" issue has to come last, for the plain reason that Washington has to demonstrate "good faith".
Ergo, after re-establishing the basic machinery of diplomacy, it requires action on equity issues: 1) full restoration of Russian property in the US along with frozen sovereign currency accounts (with interest), and 2) compensation for Nordstrom Pipeline.
I am not so sure about Nord Stream. Americans pointed finger at Kiev. Kiev lives upon American money. Hardly Russia expects any compensation. Probably EU also doesn't. It was an international property. Frozen $300 billions yes, it should be returned to Russia one day.
Russian guy: "I’m sure…. we will return to civilized communication…" They "may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one." No, you're not the only one. There is you and John Lennon. That makes two of you.
https://www.rt.com/news/613428-trump-cuts-state-department/
Reducing the number of US State Department employees is essentially performing the same with CIA employees. Most have dual loyalties.
Feb 25, 2025 Putin: Zelensky is "Toxic"; Trump is "Rational"; Europe is "Shackled" – Interview February 2025
https://youtu.be/GsluVFhT8y4?si=dhDiEAiD6Pskxlkz
Putin is clear and rational, saying that Trump could get a better deal with Russia on minerals than he could with Ukraine, that Zelinsky is avoiding negotiations because that would mean lifting martial law and then elections and he, and more importantly, his handlers, would be deposed. As we know here, it is Deep State globalists in Europe and US who have created this war, and Putin is pointing out how Russia and US could make a mutually beneficial deal that would also be good for Ukraine
Thanks for your time Vigilant, and this is the very reason for my share. You will not get this in the media.
https://mskvremya.ru/article/2023/1520-poteri-ukrainy-za-vremya-spetsoperatsii
I'm hoping President Trump will tell Zelensky the US will no longer send drones and their components to Ukraine and shut down NATO drone factories in Odessa and Kyiv.
“I’m sure that the agreements will be reached and we will return to civilized communication, which was disrupted by the previous administration,” Matvienko said, according to The Associated Press.
And maybe they can even talk about the agreements that Trump's first administration kiboshed. And when they discuss sanction relief, they can talk to the man who bragged about treating Russia worse than Obama. Good luck.
Let's see… US is holding only trade and diplomatic talks with Russia while fully sanctioning Russia… and then Ukraine is signing the minerals deal with US while US continue to arm them in order to prolong its war with Russia… until they sign a peace treaty with (again) Russia…!
You wouldn't dare to make this shit up on any day of the week…!
A good start!…
Adults conducting diplomacy while the EU petulant children pander to a mental midget named Zelensky!