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President Trump’s mission to bring peace around the globe becomes more realistic with each passing day of his administration.
Normalizing relations between Russia and the United States is just one part of the negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Diplomats from the United States and Russia met in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss various topics, including the operation of embassies in each other’s nations.
The meeting occurred just one day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s White House visit to sign President Trump’s proposed mineral deal.
The U.S. State Department delegation reportedly discussed staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and financing missions. A statement released after the meeting described the talks as “constructive” and said that “both sides identified concrete initial steps to stabilize bilateral mission operations.”
A statement from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The discussions were substantive and businesslike. It was agreed to continue the dialogue through this channel.”
The statement also mirrored the State Department’s account of the discussions. It mentioned ensuring “unimpeded financing of the activities of diplomatic missions of Russia and the United States on a reciprocal basis.”
The ministry also reported that it raised the issue of six diplomatic properties located in the United States that were “illegally seized in the period of 2016-2018.” Additionally, the Russian delegation brought up the resumption of “direct air links” between the two countries.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “We want to build dialogue not only with the US, but with all countries from a position of mutual respect and mutual benefit.”
While Democrats and their mainstream media allies have scoffed at the negotiations, President Trump’s willingness to engage with both Russia and Ukraine is something the Biden administration refused to do over the last 3 years.
The United States has also made clear that Ukraine will be involved in peace negotiations when the negotiations have progressed to that point.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared pleased with the latest meeting, remarking that it inspires “certain hopes.” However, he cautioned other European leaders to refrain from disrupting the process.
“We understand that not everyone is happy with the resumption of Russian-American contacts. Some Western elites are still determined to maintain instability in the world, and these forces will try to disrupt or compromise the dialogue that has begun,” Putin stated during a Russian domestic spy agency meeting.