Russia, US diplomats to meet in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

In this handout picture taken and released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Feb. 26, 2025, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (not pictured) in Doha

Russian, U.S. diplomats and high-level experts set to meet in Istanbul for talks and to consider problems in the work of diplomatic missions on Feb. 27.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following the meeting, Moscow expects "it will be clear to what extent the parties can move quickly and effectively in normalization of relations." Eurasia Desk will follow statements by the Russian side.

"Such a meeting will take place tomorrow in Istanbul. I think that its results will show how quickly and effectively we can move forward," Lavrov said on Feb. 26 on an official visit to Qatar.

"We have announced that our diplomats and high-level experts will meet to address the systemic problems that have piled up as a result of the previous [U.S.] administration’s illegitimate activities aimed at creating artificial obstacles for the work of the Russian embassy, to which we clearly responded in kind, also creating uncomfortable conditions for the operation of the U.S. embassy in Moscow," Lavrov noted.

He also ruled out the possibility of European troop deployment in Ukraine, stating that French President Emmanuel Macron misinterpreted U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks, Trump had suggested such a move could be possible with the agreement of all parties yet Russia’s consent was never sought.

Trump has upended U.S. foreign policy since coming to office last month, reaching out to Russian President Vladimir Putin and initiating high-level talks with Moscow for the first time in over three years.

The latest meeting will focus on resolving diplomatic issues, after both countries expelled embassy staff from the other during former US President Joe Biden's administration.

Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Feb. 18 in the Saudi capital Riyadh, where they agreed to kickstart talks on the Ukraine war without Kiev.

Both sides have since moved closer while sidelining Ukraine.

Last week, Trump branded his Ukrainian counterpart a "dictator" and called for him to "move fast" to end the war.

The United States sided with Russia twice on Feb. 24 in votes at the United Nations, as it sought to avoid condemnation of Moscow's invasion of its neighbor three years ago.

The meeting expected to be held on Feb. 27 in Istanbul came days after Turkish Foreign Hakan Fidan declared Türkiye's willingness to host peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

"We are ready to provide all kinds of support for the establishment of peace through talks. We are ready to host the talks as we did before," Fidan said at a joint press conference in Ankara with his visiting Russian counterpart.

"We want both of our neighbors to live in peace, tranquility and prosperity. We want the destruction caused by the war to end as soon as possible," Fidan said. “This war is negatively affecting different geographies... We hope that this multidimensional crisis will now be brought to a permanent solution."

After the talks, Erdoğan received Lavrov at the Presidential Palace in the capital Ankara.

Erdoğan recently hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara on Feb. 18, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to resolving the conflict through dialogue.