Second Round of U.S.-Russian Talks in Türkiye Ends After 6.5 Hours Without Public Comment

The meeting between Russian and U.S. delegations in Istanbul concluded after six and a half hours, the Russian delegation left the place of negotiations without comment, according to Russian State media outlet TASS on February 27.

Earlier, a U.S. State Department representative said the agenda would cover staffing, visas, diplomatic banking, and other logistical issues, while excluding Ukraine, security, and policy matters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said before the talks that discussions would focus on the operations of embassies in Washington and Moscow, along with Russian consulates in New York and Houston.

The delegations were led by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter and Russian Foreign Ministry official Alexander Darchiev, head of the North American Department, according to Reuters.