Russian and U.S. diplomats will meet in Istanbul to discuss diplomatic disputes, seen as a step toward ending the Ukraine war. Talks follow recent Putin-Trump discussions, with business ties and ceasefire prospects on the agenda.
Russian and U.S. diplomats will meet in Istanbul on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, for talks on resolving bilateral disputes that form part of a wider dialogue they see as crucial to ending the Ukraine war.
Lavrov said the talks would focus on creating better conditions for Russian diplomats in the United States and their U.S. counterparts in Russia, after a series of rows over staffing levels and embassy properties.
The outcome of the Istanbul talks - which follow a call between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on February 12 and a high-level Russian-U.S. meeting in Saudi Arabia on February 18 - "will show how quickly and effectively we can move," Lavrov said.
Trump has said he wants to move quickly towards a ceasefire in Ukraine, but Putin this week tempered expectations of rapid progress, saying nothing could be achieved without restoring trust between Russia and the United States.
The agenda for Thursday's talks, as described by Lavrov, signals that the two sides will focus first on technical barriers to diplomatic relations before moving on to more ambitious goals. He blamed the situation on the administration of Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden.
"Our high-level diplomats, experts, will meet and consider the systemic problems that have accumulated as a result of the illegal activities of the previous administration to create artificial obstacles for the activities of the Russian embassy, to which we, naturally, reciprocated and also created uncomfortable conditions for the work of the American embassy in Moscow," Lavrov said.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
As talks progress, both countries have said they want to explore the possibility of lucrative business ventures, as well as seeking an end to the Ukraine war. Putin said this week that Moscow would be ready to invite the U.S. to enter joint projects to tap rare earth deposits in Russia and in the parts of Ukraine that it has claimed as its own territory.
Trump's rapid moves to repair relations with Russia, reversing Biden's policy of trying to isolate Russia with sanctions, have raised fears in Kyiv and among its European allies that they could be sidelined in any potential deal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated on Wednesday that there was an understanding that Trump and Putin should meet in person after thorough preparation, but said there were no details yet on when and where this would happen.
He said the two leaders could speak again by phone if needed, but there were no current plans for this.
Nigeria has submitted a formal bid to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix, in what officials are calling a landmark effort to place the country on the global ...
Iran is grappling with a worsening water crisis, with more than 20 of its 31 provinces suffering from severe shortages that have left the capital Tehr...
Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink faced a rare global outage on Thursday, affecting tens of thousands of users and prompting a swift r...
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced two former Anti-Balaka militia leaders from the Central African Republic to lengthy prison terms ...
At least 14 people were killed on the Thai side — including a soldier and a child — after a day of airstrikes and rocket fire between Thailand and...
An Indian company shipped $1.4 million worth of military-grade explosives to Russia late last year, according to Indian customs data obtained by Reuters — despite repeated U.S. warnings that supplying Russia’s war effort in Ukraine could trigger sanctions.
A Russian general personally ordered the missile strike that brought down an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane last December, according to an investigative report by Minval Politika.
A Russian passenger plane carrying 48 people has crashed near the remote town of Tynda in the country’s Far East, with no survivors found so far as rescue teams continue to scour the mountainous crash site.
Russia and Ukraine have completed a major prisoner exchange, marking one of the largest swaps since the start of the war. The deal was based on agreements made earlier in Istanbul.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
The U.S. economy faces a 40% risk of recession in the second half of 2025, JP Morgan analysts said on Wednesday, citing rising tariffs and stagflation concerns.
Ukraine and Russia attacked targets on each other's territory on Thursday after brief direct talks between the two sides failed to make any progress on steps to end nearly three-and-a-half years of war.
Nigeria has submitted a formal bid to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix, in what officials are calling a landmark effort to place the country on the global motorsport map.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced two former Anti-Balaka militia leaders from the Central African Republic to lengthy prison terms for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
At least 14 people were killed on the Thai side — including a soldier and a child — after a day of airstrikes and rocket fire between Thailand and Cambodia, as border tensions over a disputed area erupted into the worst fighting in years.
An Indian company shipped $1.4 million worth of military-grade explosives to Russia late last year, according to Indian customs data obtained by Reuters — despite repeated U.S. warnings that supplying Russia’s war effort in Ukraine could trigger sanctions.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment