Just days after a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia, Russian and US diplomats met at the US Consul General’s residence in Istanbul on Thursday, 27 February.
Both Sonata Coulter, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Russia and Central Europe, and Alexander Darchiyev, head of the North Atlantic Department at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, were present during the six-hour talks, according to a statement from the US Department of State. “The United States raised concerns regarding access to banking and contracted services, as well as the need to ensure stable and sustainable staffing levels at the US Embassy in Moscow. Through constructive discussions, both sides identified concrete initial steps to stabilise bilateral mission operations in these areas,” the statement read.
Top US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine, without anyone from Kyiv taking part
— Bloomberg Middle East (@middleeast) February 18, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat opposite Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the meeting https://t.co/hqkjyxWBTB pic.twitter.com/2lW8KsmLvR
According to the US Department of State, Deputy Assistant Secretary Coulter and Ambassador Darchiyev agreed to hold a follow-up meeting on these issues in the near future, with the date, location, and representation yet to be determined.
Russia aims to restore direct flights
On Friday, one day after the meeting, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also commented on the matter. According to CNN, the Ministry stated that Coulter and Darchiyev discussed “ways to overcome numerous ‘irritants’ inherited from previous American administrations.” Additionally, the Russians confirmed that the possibility of reintroducing direct flights between Russia and the United States was raised during the meeting. “The need for practical results aimed at creating conditions for improving bilateral relations in the interests of the peoples of our countries was particularly emphasised. In concrete terms, the American side was asked to consider the possibility of restoring direct air traffic,” the Ministry added.
However, the US Department of State has not confirmed whether the reopening of US airspace to Russian aircraft was officially discussed.
Airspace restrictions following the Ukraine invasion
In February 2022, the United States, Canada, the European Union, and other Western nations banned Russian aircraft from entering their airspace following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “We are proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian-registered, and Russian-controlled aircraft. Let me be very clear – our airspace will be closed to every Russian plane, and that includes the private jets of oligarchs too,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the time.
Russia retaliated by closing its airspace to many Western countries, although most Western airlines had already stopped flying over Russia by that point.
