U.S. and Russian officials will not discuss Russia's war against Ukraine during their meeting in Istanbul on Feb. 27, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in an email to Reuters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on Feb. 26 that Washington and Moscow would hold a second round of talks in Turkey, just over a week after delegates from the two countries met in Saudi Arabia for their first direct talks since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The meeting will not include discussions on Ukraine, a State Department spokesperson told Reuters.
"To be clear, there are no political or security issues on the agenda. Ukraine is not on the agenda," the spokesperson said via email.
Lavrov said the meeting would focus on the reopening of embassies and diplomatic missions, one of three main objectives named at the conclusion of the Saudi Arabia talks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv will not accept any decisions about Ukraine's future that arise from negotiations that exclude Ukraine. No Ukrainians were invited to participate in the U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh.
As American officials prepare to meet with a Russian delegation for the second time this month, U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that a ceasefire deal between Kyiv and Moscow is imminent.
Trump said on Feb. 24 — the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion — that the war could be over "within weeks." Ahead of official peace negotiations, he has already said that Ukraine "can forget about" joining NATO and that he is interested in signing a deal with Russia on rare earth minerals.
The drastic shift in U.S. foreign policy toward Russia has alarmed Ukrainian and European leaders. Zelensky is set to meet with Trump on Feb. 28 to sign a critical minerals agreement and press the U.S. to provide Ukraine with security guarantees.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
