Russia and US to Hold The Second Round of Diplomatic Talks in Istanbul on February 27

Russian and US delegations will meet in Istanbul on Thursday, Feb. 27 to discuss the reopening of diplomatic missions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced, as reported by Interfax.

“I think the meeting will show how quickly and effectively we can move forward,” Lavrov said. He did not specify who would attend but mentioned that “high-level diplomats” and “experts” would take part.

This follows a previous round of talks between Russian and US officials on Feb. 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That meeting, led by Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was the first high-level discussion since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The two sides agreed to first restore diplomatic relations before addressing the war. EU and Ukrainian representatives were not involved in those talks. The upcoming meeting in Istanbul is expected to build on those discussions.

On Tuesday, Feb.25, German newspaper Die Zeit reported, citing diplomatic sources, that a second meeting between Russian and American delegations was expected to take place in Riyadh as a follow-up to the February 18 talks.

However, shortly after the report was published, Russian news agencies TASS, RIA Novosti, and Interfax, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that no such meeting was planned for that day.