Russia, US hold expert-level talks in Istanbul for over 6 hours to overcome 'differences'

ISTANBUL

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that Russia and the US held expert-level talks in Istanbul to address ongoing tensions and strengthen confidence-building measures between the two countries.

The meeting was one of several high-level bilateral contacts aimed at resolving what Zakharova described as "many irritants" in the Russia-US dialogue.

"We hope that today's meeting, the first in a series of expert consultations, will bring us and the American side closer to overcoming differences and strengthening trust," she said in a statement quoted by TASS news agency.

The Russian and US delegations met for six and a half hours at the US Consulate General's residence in Istanbul to discuss the operation of their respective embassies as part of the two countries' normalization of relations.

Following the meeting, the Russian delegation left the residence without issuing a statement.

The two countries' delegations met for the first time on Feb. 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss bilateral relations and efforts to end Ukraine's now over three-year-old war.

Meanwhile, preparations are also underway for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.