U.S. and Russia Agree to Restore Embassy Staffing in Washington and Moscow

The United States and Russia agreed to restore embassy staffing, the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated after the end of the four-and-a-half hour meeting in Saudi Arabia on February 18.

He announced that both states agreed to “reestablish the functionality of our respective missions in Washington and Moscow.”

Additionally, CBS News reported that Rubio stated that the embassies in Washington and Moscow must be re-staffed as “we’re going to need to have vibrant diplomatic missions that are able to function normally in order to be able to continue these conduits.”

According to NBC News, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters the talks were “very useful” as he confirmed agreeing to “remove obstacles” for diplomatic missions on the two sides, blaming the Biden administration for it.

In an interview published on February 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the United States appears eager to appease Vladimir Putin by seeking a swift resolution to Russia’s war against Ukraine, which could create a situation reminiscent of Afghanistan in 2021.

At the same time, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will not recognize any agreements made without its participation, calling such negotiations meaningless.