Russia and the United States are to resume talks on April 10 in Istanbul on the normalization of their respective diplomatic missions.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on April 8 that delegations from Moscow and Washington will hold the second round of consultations focused on embassy operations.
Bruce said there would be no political or security issues discussed and stressed that the war in Ukraine would "absolutely not" be on the agenda.
"These talks are solely focused on our embassy operations, not on normalizing a bilateral relationship overall, which can only happen, as we've noted, once there's peace between Russia and Ukraine," she said.
SEE ALSO: Putin 'Hopes' Meeting Between U.S., Russian Officials Helps Thaw RelationsRussian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously reported that the Russian delegation would be headed by Russian Ambassador to the United States Aleksandr Darchiyev, and the American delegation would be headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Sonata Coulter.
The last time Washington and Moscow met in Istanbul was on February 27. Both sides described the first round of talks, which was held behind closed doors, as useful.
The American side said afterward that the meeting had defined steps to normalize the functioning of the diplomatic missions of the two countries. The Russian side said it had proposed the restoration of direct flights between the countries.
SEE ALSO: Mr. Dmitriev Goes To Washington: What We Know About The Kremlin's Envoy And His DC MeetingsYears of tense relations led to restrictions on diplomatic work in the respective capitals. Many diplomats have been sent home by each side since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
US President Donald Trump has pushed for improved relations since returning to the White House in January.
Russia last week sent envoy Kirill Dmitriev to Washington at the invitation of Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. Dmitriev said after the talks that he saw a "positive dynamic" in relations between Moscow and Washington, but differences remain, and several more meetings are needed to resolve them.
He also said work was under way on restoring direct flights between Russia and the United States.