Diplomats from Russia and the United States will meet in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss the operation of their respective embassies in Moscow and Washington, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.

Russian and U.S. teams held six hours of talks in Turkey on Thursday to try to restore normal functioning of their embassies, and Vladimir Putin said initial contacts with Donald Trump's new administration had inspired hope.

Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Turkey on Thursday for talks to resolve disputes over the work of their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, a first test of their ability to reset wider relations and work towards ending the war in Ukraine.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says diplomats from Russia and the United States will meet in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss the operation of their respective embassies in Moscow and

Following the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the Kremlin sent new instructions to state-run media to cover developments between Moscow and Washington in a positive tone, but instead of praising U.

Turkey, with NATO's second-largest army and a Black Sea coastline, is looking to play a key role in Europe's security after Washington's pivot away from the region. Its military, strategically located on the eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance and south of the Black Sea -- to which it controls access via the Bosphorus -- counts 373,

Against the background of how the new US administration is trying to save face and get back the money burned along with the equipment and militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Ukrainian theater of military operations,

Turkey, with the second largest army in NATO after the United States, could contribute to a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, a Turkish defence ministry source said on Wednesday. "The issue of contributing to a mission will be considered if deemed necessary for establishing regional stability and peace,

NEWS ANALYSIS. By arming Ukraine with one hand and dealing with Russia with the other, without applying Western sanctions against Moscow, Ankara is playing a fine balancing act.

Turkey's foreign minister will reiterate at Sunday's meeting of European leaders in London an offer from Ankara to host peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Saturday.

Russian and U.S. diplomats will meet in Istanbul on Thursday for talks aimed at restoring their respective diplomatic missions, seen as a step towards ending the war in Ukraine, both sides said on Wednesday.

Russian negotiators have asked their American counterparts to consider reopening US airspace to Russian aircraft and restoring direct flights between the two countries, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.