Officials from the United States and Russia will meet Thursday in Istanbul to discuss resolving issues hindering their diplomatic missions in each other’s countries, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said on Wednesday.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the Russian Embassy in Washington have been operating with skeletal staffing after years of expulsions of diplomats and restrictions on operations. Both are subject to frequent protests.
Mr. Lavrov’s announcement adds to the head-spinning shift in relations between two long-adversarial nations, whose negotiating teams met last week in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, for their most extensive discussions in years. The sides committed to collaborating to end the war in Ukraine, considering economic and investment opportunities and re-establishing normal diplomatic relations.
Speaking on a visit to Doha, the Qatari capital, Mr. Lavrov said the diplomats would “meet to address systemic problems” arising from the tit-for-tat restrictions on embassy activities that both sides imposed in previous years.
“A meeting on this matter will take place tomorrow in Istanbul,” Mr. Lavrov said. “Following its outcome, we will gain clarity on the pace and effectiveness of our progress,” he added, suggesting that it would offer a gauge on how quickly Washington and Moscow could move on other issues.
President Trump’s rapid rapprochement with the Kremlin has unnerved Ukraine and American allies in Europe.
