MOSCOW
Russia on Tuesday announced that its second meeting with the US on the normalization of ties is set to take place in Istanbul.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did not give an exact date for the meeting, but pointed to President Vladimir Putin, who asked him and Defense Minister Andrey Belousov for a briefing on the progress in talks with the US on the Ukraine issue.
Lavrov stressed that Russia and the US are currently focused on three topics: finding a solution to the conflict in Ukraine – now dealing with a moratorium on strikes targeting energy infrastructure — plus restoration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the removal of “irritants” in bilateral ties.
According to Lavrov, these “irritants” significantly impede the functioning of the Russian Embassy in Washington and the US Embassy in Moscow.
“A meeting took place in Istanbul, and now a second meeting is being prepared. In the meantime, communication continues through phone calls and video conferences,” he said.
Lavrov highlighted that the “embassy issues” date back to the Barack Obama administration of 2009-2017, directly before the first term of the Trump administration.
“I refrain from making predictions, noticeable progress has been achieved, reflecting the determination of our American partners to eliminate these wholly unacceptable impediments to the smooth operation of diplomacy in each other’s capitals,” he said.
On Feb. 27, Russian and US delegations met at the residence of the US Consulate General in Istanbul to discuss the operations of their respective embassies as part of bilateral efforts.
Moratorium on energy infrastructure strikes, resumption of grain deal
According to Lavrov, Defense Minister Belousov presented the Russian Security Council facts confirming Ukraine’s violations of the moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure declared by Russia and Ukraine following Putin’s March 18 phone call with US President Donald Trump.
“Belousov said that the moratorium is not being observed (by Ukraine), Russian energy facilities have been under attack all this time, maybe with a break of one or two days. And he listed all the objects that had been the targets of Ukrainian drones over the past time, including last night,” Lavrov stressed.
Despite this, Russia has fully complied with the agreement, there was no order to cancel the ban on strikes from the Russian side, he said.
“You may even recall, he (Putin) mentioned that at that moment (when the moratorium was declared), seven drones were heading towards their targets in Ukraine, they were destroyed by our air defense systems and the aircraft patrolling the skies. Ever since, we have adhered to this agreement 100%,” he said.
Lavrov said Russia compiled evidence, recorded the facts, and shared documentation with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the UN, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), “to demonstrate using specific facts, what the position of the current Ukrainian government truly is.”
As for the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Belousov said the US is examining Russia’s proposals and “gave assurances that they will respond promptly.”
The Black Sea Grain Initiative allowed exports of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports. It was also intended to eliminate obstacles impeding the exports of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers, but this part of the deal was never implemented, leading Moscow to refuse its extension in July 2023.
