Oncoming traffic: Russia and the United States have taken another step towards normalizing relations

Russia and the United States held another round of negotiations, this time the delegations discussed the restoration of normal embassy operations. The meeting was held in Istanbul on February 27, where Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko arrived on the same day. It is Turkey that offers its services as a mediator for negotiations on Ukraine. However, as Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of the Federation Council, told Izvestia, this country supported Kiev politically and with arms supplies, which limits its potential as an intermediary, but it remains a convenient platform for dialogue. According to Vladimir Putin, the first contacts between the two powers "inspire certain hopes," although no one in the Kremlin expects easy solutions. It is worth noting that Donald Trump extended some sanctions for a year. Europe, in turn, is trying to prevent the dialogue between the two countries. Although British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who visited the American leader on February 27, spoke about a future settlement in an unusually mild manner.

New meeting of the US and Russian delegations

The second meeting between the delegations of Russia and the United States has ended in Turkey. It was devoted to the work of embassies and lasted more than six hours. The parties met at the residence of the Consul General of the United States in Istanbul. After the end of the negotiations, the Russian delegation left the residence without making statements to the media.

Istanbul is an already established negotiating platform and it is suitable for dialogue with third countries, in this case with the United States, Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, explained to Izvestia.

— Our Turkish colleagues want something more, they want to be intermediaries. And there are, of course, many questions. Turkey is not a neutral state in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. She supported Ukraine both politically and with arms supplies. Personally, in my opinion, this limits Turkey's potential," the politician said. — In this case, the Turkish side is not involved in the negotiations, does not put pressure on the positions of the parties, so this is a convenient place to meet and work on the merits. When there is a condition, the result can be even greater than the negotiators expect, which I hope has happened this time.

As far as is known, the Russian delegation was headed by Alexander Darchiev, Director of the North America Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who was head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Canada from 2014 to 2021, and before that held various positions at the Russian Embassy in the United States. His counterpart was Deputy assistant to the US Secretary of State Sonata Coulter. From 2018 to 2021, she worked as a deputy political adviser at the American Embassy in Moscow. Currently, he oversees the Russian and Central European areas at the State Department.

On February 27, Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko also met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Following the meeting, the Russian politician confirmed to reporters that the republic is ready to provide its own platform for negotiations on Ukraine at any time. Matvienko also noted that in the negotiation track between the Russian Federation and the United States, "there is no question of resuming parliamentary dialogue yet, but the time for dialogue must come."

When asked by Izvestia if there was a connection with the negotiations between the US and Russian delegations and the visit of Valentina Matvienko to Turkey, Konstantin Kosachev replied negatively. "It's a coincidence," he stressed.

Prospects for dialogue between Moscow and Washington

While negotiations were underway in Istanbul, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted at a meeting of the FSB board in Moscow that the first contacts with the new American administration "inspire certain hopes" and that the Trump team demonstrates "a reciprocal attitude to work to restore interstate relations, to gradually solve the enormous volume of accumulated systemic, strategic problems in the global architecture," which led to including the conflict in Ukraine. The President also pointed to the pragmatism of the White House leadership team and its rejection of many stereotypes, messianic and ideological cliches of its predecessors.

Recall that despite the increased interest in the settlement in Ukraine, the renewed dialogue between the two countries is devoted to a wide range of issues, including the economy, energy, space and the Middle East. At the first meeting in Riyadh on February 18, an agreement was reached to resume the normal work of diplomatic agencies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later confirmed that "the first and probably the most urgent, and even more so not the most difficult, is to ensure the early appointment of Russian ambassadors to the United States and the United States in Russia." The issue of diplomatic property remains important. Recall that in 2016-2017, six real estate objects were arrested in different American states, two of which were used in the format of dachas intended for recreation of employees of the Russian diplomatic mission and their family members.

In the days following the meeting in Riyadh, the sides demonstrated that the resumption of dialogue is not only in words. At the UN General Assembly on February 24, the United States voted against the draft anti-Russian resolution prepared by European countries and Ukraine. Russia, along with China, supported the resolution proposed by the United States, which did not contain anti-Russian rhetoric and called for an immediate end to the conflict.

On the same day, Vladimir Putin said that Russia was ready to offer American partners cooperation on rare earth metals. Trump also confirmed that Washington is interested in Russia's "huge reserves" of such metals and its other "very valuable resources." According to him, the United States also has "things" that could be of interest to Russia.

As for the Ukrainian track, as Sergey Lavrov noted, Moscow is waiting for the American side to inform who will represent Washington in the framework of the settlement process. As soon as the name is announced, Vladimir Putin will indicate the name of the Russian representative.

However, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported on February 27, "no one expects easy and quick solutions in relations between Russia and the United States." The Russian Federation's position on many issues related to Ukraine remains fundamental. For example, Moscow categorically rules out sending European peacekeepers to a neighboring country, while Trump does not. It is unacceptable for the Russian Federation to talk about the status of new Russian territories. Trump recently said that "the United States will try to make a good deal so that they (Ukrainians. — Ed.) were able to return as much as possible."

In this regard, it is significant that on February 27, Donald Trump extended for one year the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by decrees in 2014, 2018 and 2022. The White House believes that the threat to national security and US foreign policy remains. In particular, we are talking about restrictions against a number of individuals and organizations that, according to Washington, are responsible for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. At the same time, on February 26, Trump said that sanctions against Russia could be lifted after the signing of the peace agreement on Ukraine, but this would not be a condition for its conclusion.

The fate of the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START), which will expire in a year, remains unclear. "What's next? Extend this one, make a new one? There are, of course, many issues that need to be resolved now with the new US administration," Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said recently.

Europe's attempts to prevent a settlement

Europe's reaction deserves special mention. Some of Kiev's allies view the US steps towards Russia as a sign of weakness on the part of the White House. According to French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecorny, it was a real surprise for his country that serious concessions were being made to Russia from the very beginning. "After all, in this case, what card will remain up your sleeve to conduct balanced negotiations that protect both the interests of Ukraine and our own security interests?" he asked on the air of FranceInfo on February 27.

At the same time, Politico, citing diplomats, writes that Macron's recent trip to Washington was a "waste of time" because Trump did not make any clear promises regarding support for Europe. The reaction of US Vice President Jay Dee Vance is indicative: "when the president is engaged in diplomacy, you guys accuse him in advance of making concessions to Russia. He was not inferior to anyone in any way. He does the job of a diplomat."

But Washington's attitude towards Europe is one of undisguised irritation. On February 26, the announced meeting of the head of European diplomacy, Kaya Callas, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not take place, although she had already arrived in Washington. Officially, the reason was some "schedule problems," but a few hours later, Trump announced the introduction of duties of 25% on EU goods, explaining that Europe refuses to purchase American cars and agricultural products. "We have about a $300 billion deficit with the European Union. But let's be honest: the European Union was created in order to ruin the life of the United States," he added.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also came to persuade Trump not to rush to a peace agreement on Ukraine. However, his chances of success are slim, given that during the US presidential election he showed support for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Igor Kovalev, First Deputy Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, reminded Izvestia.

— It will be much more difficult to do this now than it was for [previous Prime Minister Boris] Johnson, because he spoke in conjunction with Joe Biden, there was complete mutual support and common views, and now the situation has changed dramatically. Trump, in general, aims to at least try to improve relations with Russia, and is not inclined to unconditionally support the regime of Vladimir Zelensky. And Trump definitely does not consider Starmer as his closest and most reliable friend. It cannot be said, of course, that the special relationship between Britain and the United States has ended, but there will not be such a strong alliance and a united front," he said.It is worth noting that the kingdom cannot dictate the terms of the United States, given the poor state of the Navy and the nuclear fleet. The British can't even launch nuclear-tipped missiles without the consent of the United States. This was emphasized by the outcome of the meeting. Trump expressed confidence that he would be able to achieve a settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.

Starmer could only express his gratitude to the head of the White House for the opportunity to conclude a peace agreement on Ukraine. He believes that it will be "historic" and should not be violated by anyone. Trump hopes that the Ukrainian conflict will not resume after a peaceful settlement. In addition, the American president, predictably, stated that the United States would no longer assume leadership in financing and assistance to NATO. A number of alliance countries, including Britain, have already been forced to increase defense spending.

At the same time, Moscow considers Europe's attempts to participate in some kind of security guarantees for Ukraine to be inappropriate. In particular, they will be discussed at an emergency EU summit on March 6. Thus, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, accused Europe of repeatedly disrupting the agreements. Responding to a question from Izvestia correspondent Leonid Samuna following his visit to Malaysia, he recalled that in 2014, the French and German foreign ministries facilitated the signing of an agreement between former Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych and the armed opposition, according to which the president was supposed to resign, but these guarantees "lasted as long as three hours.".

— There is an old Russian proverb: "Once you lie, who will believe you." And here it's more than once, at least twice in Ukraine," Shoigu said.

The Secretary of the Security Council recalled, in particular, the Minsk agreements, which, as the former leaders of Ukraine, Germany and France later admitted, were signed solely to give Kiev time to rearm.

Nevertheless, the US policy of normalizing relations with Russia can also be followed in Europe, which, as practice has shown, echoes the actions of the new American administration. At the same time, for example, Hungary and Serbia are already quite friendly towards Russia — these European countries are most likely to get closer to the Russian Federation, says Richard Bensel, a professor at Cornell University in New York. In addition, there are contacts at the political level between Moscow and Bratislava.