“A Confidential Agreement Achieved to Reinstate Diplomatic Missions”
By Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis
In Riyadh and Washington (Reuters) – Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday that the U.S. and Russia had reached a consensus to resume the normal operations of each other’s diplomatic missions. This development followed discussions between high-ranking U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.
The decision seemed to indicate a noteworthy relaxation of constraints on Russian diplomatic missions in the United States that had been implemented by previous U.S. administrations in response to Moscow’s incursion into Ukraine and other actions by Russia.
The talks in Riyadh were intended to be a step towards bringing an end to Russia’s conflict in Ukraine after President Donald Trump, who assumed office last month, instructed senior officials to initiate negotiations.
Rubio disclosed that both sides had agreed, as a preliminary measure, to establish teams of officials tasked with promptly restoring the functionality of their respective missions. Diplomats from both countries had been expelled, and the appointment of new staff at each other’s missions had been restricted through a series of retaliatory actions over the past decade, resulting in thinly staffed embassies.
Rubio noted that these actions had “greatly hampered our ability to operate in Moscow,” and that Russia likely faced similar challenges with its mission in Washington. “We need robust diplomatic missions that can operate effectively in order to maintain these channels,” Rubio informed the Associated Press.
He also mentioned that he would not disclose the specifics of the restoration process for the missions through public negotiations. The State Department did not provide immediate details regarding the current operations of U.S. missions in Russia.
Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, discussed the functionality of Russia’s U.S. missions with Rubio in a call on Saturday prior to the talks in Riyadh, as reported by Russia’s foreign ministry.
Even before Russia’s major invasion of Ukraine in 2022, U.S. officials had expressed concerns that they were only able to maintain a limited presence in Russia, as Russia had imposed restrictions on personnel at U.S. missions, leading to the closure of U.S. consulates in Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis; Editing by Frances Kerry)
