MOSCOW
The second round of talks between Russia and the US concluded Thursday afternoon in Istanbul after over five hours, according to Russian media.
The US delegation was the first to leave the Russian consul general residence without making any statements to the press.
On Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the delegations would meet to address efforts to “further stabilize the operations of their bilateral missions,” meaning embassies and consulates.
The Russian delegation was led by Alexander Darchiev, ambassador to the US, with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter leading the US team.
The meeting followed an initial round of discussions held Feb. 27, also in Istanbul, as part of a diplomatic channel established between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their meeting in Saudi Arabia.
Both delegations continued the “constructive approach” seen in the meeting, according to a US State Department statement.
“The United States reiterated its concerns about the Russian Federation’s policy prohibiting the employment of local staff, which is the key impediment to maintaining stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow,” it said.
The two sides discussed holding a follow-up meeting in the near term, with the date, location, and representation to be determined, it added.
Ahead of the meeting, Darchiev announced that some progress had already been made on a number of issues.
