Next Round of US–Russia Talks to Be Held in Moscow, Ambassador Says

The next round of talks between U.S. and Russian officials will be held in Moscow, Russia’s newly appointed ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, said.

Two previous rounds of talks, aimed at normalizing ties after years of mutual animosity, were held earlier this year in Istanbul, Turkey.

“I can confirm that the next talks between the two delegations will be held in Moscow in the near future,” Darchiev told Russia’s TASS news agency in an interview published on June 11.

At the first round of talks, held on Feb. 27, the United States approved Darchiev’s appointment as Moscow’s ambassador to Washington.

The post had been vacant since late in 2024, when the term of the previous envoy, Anatoly Antonov, expired.

Darchiev, who led the Russian delegation at the two earlier rounds of talks, officially assumed the position in late March.

The U.S. delegation has been led by Sonata Coulter, deputy assistant secretary of state for Russian and Central European affairs.

At the second round of talks, held on April 10, the two sides agreed to relocate the venue for talks “to the [U.S. and Russian] capitals,” Darchiev said in the interview.

Both sides have stressed that the talks are aimed at removing obstacles to the smooth functioning of their respective embassies in Moscow and Washington.

Shortly before the second round, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that the talks would be “solely focused on … embassy operations.”

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine—and related political and security issues—would not be addressed at the meeting, she stated.

“Ukraine is not, absolutely not, on the agenda,” Bruce told reporters at the time.

This was echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who said the talks were aimed at “removing multiple obstacles, including technical ones, that hamper the activity of diplomats in the two countries.”

Over the past decade, U.S.–Russia relations have deteriorated dramatically, with the two countries expelling each other’s diplomats, leaving their embassies thinly staffed.

‘Long Road Ahead’

After the last round of talks in April, Darchiev said that the meeting was held in a “positive atmosphere.”

The two sides, he said, had “exchanged official notes establishing an agreement on mutual guarantees for the unimpeded work of banking and financial services for diplomatic missions in Russia and the United States.”

They had also agreed on “further measures to facilitate the movement of diplomats in the host country, as well as their visa registration,” he said.

This was confirmed by the U.S. Department of State, which said the two sides had “exchanged notes to finalize an understanding to ensure the stability of diplomatic banking for Russian and U.S. bilateral missions.”

In an April 10 statement, the State Department said it had “reiterated its concerns about the Russian Federation’s policy prohibiting the employment of local staff, which is the key impediment to maintaining … stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.”

In a recent interview with TASS, Darchiev said there was still “a long road ahead before Russia–U.S. relations fully normalize.”

“The process is difficult,” the envoy said.

“It is being obstructed not only by the White House’s opponents—that is, ‘the deep state’—but also by some hawks in Congress, where a strong anti-Russian lobby has been established.

“It’s important that there still is some progress, albeit reversible, which has produced tangible results.”

Commenting on Darchiev’s remarks in the interview, Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said no date had yet been set for an anticipated third round of talks in Moscow.

“As soon as the date and logistics are finalized—since there are indeed numerous issues—we will certainly share the details with you,” she told reporters.