The next round will take place in Istanbul in the coming days, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry

The next round of Russia-US talks aimed at improving diplomatic ties will take place in Istanbul, Turkiye in the coming days, Russia's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday.

The two countries have held several rounds of high-level meetings since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

The upcoming talks will focus on normalizing the operation of the two countries' diplomatic missions, the ministry told Russian media outlets on Tuesday. The venue, format, and participants of the talks will remain unchanged from a previous round on February 27, also in Istanbul, it said.

"Work to remove numerous technical barriers complicating the day-to-day functioning of diplomats from both countries will continue," the ministry said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.

The Russian delegation will be led by Moscow's new ambassador to Washington, Aleksandr Darchiev, while the US side will be headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Eurasian Affairs Sonata Coulter. Representatives from both foreign ministries will also take part.

Plans for a new meeting were first announced last week by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said Moscow and Washington were "in contact by phone and video conference" as they prepared for the next round of talks.

In recent years, Russia and the US cut diplomatic staff at each other's missions, imposed banking restrictions on each other and seized diplomatic properties. The escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 further exacerbated tensions and led to further restrictions.

Trump has moved away from many Biden-era policies, calling for a swift resolution to the Ukraine conflict and a reset in bilateral ties.

The first meeting between Russian and US high-level delegations took place in Riyadh on February 18, focusing on restoring embassy operations and easing restrictions. A follow-up round in Istanbul on February 27 addressed diplomatic funding and Russia's proposal to reinstate direct flights between the two countries.

Last month, delegations from both sides met again in Saudi Arabia, where they agreed to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Following the talks, Trump signaled that Washington could consider lifting certain sanctions to advance the deal, which is seen as a step toward resolving the Ukraine conflict.

(RT.com)