In Istanbul, the U.S. and Russia engaged in a "constructive discussion" regarding the reopening of their embassies, according to the State Department.

The U.S. State Department reported the outcome of the negotiations, as conveyed by Ukrinform.

The press release states that the United States has "expressed concern" regarding access to banking and contractual services, as well as the need to ensure a stable and sustainable staffing of the U.S. embassy in Moscow.

“During constructive discussions, both parties identified specific initial steps to stabilize the operations of bilateral missions in these areas,” the statement reads.

Both sides "agreed to hold the next meeting on these issues soon," with the date, location, and participant composition to be determined later.

The State Department noted that the meeting in Istanbul took place following an agreement between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The U.S. delegation was led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Russia and Central Europe Sonata Coulter, while the Russian delegation was headed by the Director of the North Atlantic Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Alexander Darchiev.

As reported by Ukrinform, on February 18, following negotiations between Russia and the U.S. in Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the parties agreed to restore the staff of their embassies in Washington and Moscow to create missions to support peace talks regarding Ukraine.