A United States delegation, led by Sonata Coulter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Russia and Central Europe, met with Russian representatives headed by Ambassador Aleksandr Darchiyev on April 10 in Istanbul, Türkiye. This was the second round of discussions following an agreement between Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart. The initial meeting occurred on February 27.
The meeting built upon a constructive dialogue from the previous session. During the talks, both delegations exchanged notes to finalize mutual understandings aimed at ensuring stability in diplomatic banking for U.S. and Russian bilateral missions. The U.S. expressed concerns over Russia's policy prohibiting the employment of local staff, which hampers maintaining a stable and sustainable staffing level at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Both Deputy Assistant Secretary Coulter and Ambassador Darchiyev explored the possibility of another meeting to further address these issues. Details such as the date, location, and personnel involved will be decided later.