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Senior officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US Department of State will hold a regular meeting in late February or early March. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in an interview with RIA Novosti on 22 February.
New meeting within two weeks
According to Ryabkov, an agreement has already been reached in principle to hold comprehensive consultations to systematically analyse all the “irritations” in bilateral relations. “We have confirmed to the Americans our readiness to start this work as soon as possible,” Ryabkov said.
He also clarified that before the talks reach the level of deputy ministers, a preparatory meeting will be held between the directors of the two countries’ relevant departments. This meeting is expected to take place within the next two weeks.
Neutral location for negotiations
The venue for the upcoming talks has not yet been determined, but, according to Ryabkov, the meeting will definitely take place in a third country. “We are discussing this issue, and we have already conveyed our approaches to the American side, in particular during contacts in Riyadh,” the diplomat said.
Is a meeting between Trump and Putin possible?
During preliminary talks in the Saudi capital on 18 February, Russian and American delegations discussed a potential meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States. Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that such a meeting could take place as early as February. Donald Trump also does not rule out the possibility of talks with Putin in the near future.
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear that the summit will take place only after concrete results are achieved in negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reuters reports that in recent months, representatives of the Russian Federation and the United States have repeatedly held secret consultations in Switzerland.
What’s on the agenda?
The key topics of the upcoming talks are:
– Resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
– Reduced tensions in bilateral relations.
– Prospects for nuclear disarmament.
– Restore diplomatic channels of communication.
Prospects for negotiations
Although the US has not yet officially confirmed the upcoming meeting, the very fact of active consultations indicates a mutual interest in de-escalating tensions. The success of the upcoming talks could be an important step towards finding compromises, particularly on the Ukrainian issue.
The question remains: will the US and Russia be able to reach real agreements, or will these consultations be another diplomatic manoeuvre without concrete results?
