Russia-US consultations kick off in Istanbul

The second round of Russia-US consultations kicked off in Istanbul at 10:00 a.m. local time, the Russian TASS news agency reported.

The talks are taking place at the Russian consulate general. Russia’s delegation is led by Moscow’s Ambassador to Washington Alexander Darchiev, while Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Sonata Coulter heads the US delegation, according to TASS.

The previous round of Russia-US consultations was held at the US consul general's residence in Istanbul on February 27; the meeting lasted over six hours. The Russian Foreign Ministry said afterwards that "the discussions took place in a meaningful and businesslike atmosphere." The ministry added that the parties "agreed to maintain dialogue via this channel."