Daily SumUp

Russian and U.S. officials met in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss embassy-related issues as part of efforts to stabilize ties, Russian news agencies reported.

The talks, held at the U.S. consul general's residence, followed this month's first high-level meeting between the two nuclear powers since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Neither side disclosed the participants, though Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported that the Russian delegation included representatives from the Foreign Ministry. 

The Istanbul talks, which lasted around six hours, were aimed at normalizing the operations of both countries' diplomatic missions after a series of tit-for-tat expulsions of embassy staff during former U.S. administrations.