Russian and American diplomats met in Istanbul on February 28, 2025, to discuss normalizing diplomatic relations, including a Russian proposal to resume direct flights between Moscow and Washington [1][2].

The six-hour meeting, which followed earlier talks in Saudi Arabia and a February 12 phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin, focused on stabilizing embassy operations between the two nations [3].

The Russian Foreign Ministry described the talks as "substantive and businesslike," though no specific timeline for flight resumption was provided. Direct flights between the countries have been suspended since February 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine [1].

Sonata Coulter, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Russia and Central Europe, led the American delegation, while Alexander Darchiyev, head of the North America Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, represented Moscow [2].

Following the news of potential flight resumption, shares of Russia's largest airline, Aeroflot, rose 3.8% [3]. The U.S. State Department has not yet commented on the flight proposal but confirmed both sides identified "concrete initial steps" to stabilize bilateral mission operations [1].

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed optimism about the diplomatic developments, praising the Trump administration's "pragmatism and realistic view" compared to previous U.S. administrations [2].

The discussions also addressed embassy staffing levels, banking access, and the potential return of six Russian embassy properties in the United States that were confiscated between 2016 and 2018 [3].