A senior Russian diplomat has expressed Moscow’s hope for another round of discussions with American officials this fall to address ongoing issues between the two nations.
The United States and Russia previously held two rounds of talks in Istanbul, the first occurring in February and the second in April, which focused significantly on diplomatic relations and the resumption of embassy operations.
Both sides reported making progress on these matters.
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska; however, the meeting has yet to yield an agreement to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has persisted for over three and a half years.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS that the mutual desire to avoid an unsuccessful meeting, which could impede tangible outcomes, is the reason for the delay in scheduling a new meeting.
He added, “In any case, if we consider the time frame, we are aiming for such a meeting by the end of fall at the latest.”
Ryabkov clarified that while there are logistical issues and scheduling conflicts, those are not the main reasons for postponing the meeting.
He continued, “The primary reason is that we do not want the meeting to occur without concrete progress. There is a risk of remaining stagnant without making any headway.”
“Therefore, it is preferable, as long as there is political will from both sides, to continue working behind the scenes, and possibly we can lay the groundwork for future steps, after which all logistical and organizational aspects will be resolved swiftly.”