Second meeting in Istanbul with the US and Russia: What was discussed?

The first meeting of American and Russian diplomats in Istanbul took place on February 27. It was reported that the meeting discussed the mutual normalization of embassy operations.

American and Russian diplomats gathered for the second meeting in Istanbul on Thursday at the Russian Consulate General. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov, who provided information about the closely monitored meeting, stated that the discussions, held at the level of the foreign ministries of Russia and the U.S., focused on "the normalization of bilateral relations" and that the Ukraine crisis was not addressed. The Russian side was represented by the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador Aleksandr Darçiyev, while the U.S. delegation was led by Acting Deputy Secretary of State Sonata Coulter, responsible for Russia and Central European policies. In a statement made by the U.S. State Department on Tuesday, it was indicated that the normalization of embassy activities would be discussed, and that political issues such as the Ukraine crisis were not on the agenda. U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce noted that the normalization of bilateral relations was not on the agenda of the meeting, and that normalization could occur after a peace agreement is signed between Russia and Ukraine. The first meeting of American and Russian diplomats in Istanbul had taken place on February 27, and the discussions held at the residence of the U.S. Consulate General lasted for 6.5 hours. Representatives from Washington and Moscow, who met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February, had decided to conduct separate negotiations in Istanbul regarding embassy activities. The 4.5-hour meeting in Riyadh included Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin's foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov. The U.S. delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special representative for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and national security advisor Mike Waltz.

Diplomatic Traffic After the Riyadh meeting, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted his Russian counterpart Lavrov in Ankara, stating that the U.S. peace initiative aligned with Turkey's policy since February 2022, and that they were ready for mediation. The U.S. State Department also requested Turkey's support for peace in Ukraine. The U.S. State Department announced that Secretary of State Rubio requested Turkey's support for peace in Ukraine during Hakan Fidan's visit to Washington in March. Since the start of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has maintained close relations with both countries, offered to mediate, and hosted a peace meeting in 2022 that ended in failure.

Prisoner Exchange in Ankara A comprehensive prisoner exchange operation between Russia and Western countries, mediated by Turkey, took place in Ankara in August 2024. The largest hostage exchange involving 26 individuals held in prisons in the U.S., Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus was conducted within the framework of the National Intelligence Organization's (MIT) intelligence diplomacy. MIT brought the parties together in Turkey in July 2024 to negotiate the exchange of prisoners between Western countries' citizens and Russian citizens. Subsequently, the exchange of the detainees was carried out at Ankara's Esenboğa Airport.