The US And Russia Agree To Restore Diplomatic Mission Functions To Support Ukraine's War Negotiations

JAKARTA - Russia and the United States have agreed to restore diplomatic missions of each country in Moscow and Washington, to facilitate continued diplomatic engagement, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"We will need active work on diplomatic missions capable of functioning normally to be able to continue this contact," Foreign Minister Rubio said, citing TASS from the Associated Press on February 19.

The news agency said an increase in the number of diplomats in Moscow and Washington was needed to accelerate efforts to reach an agreement to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

According to Foreign Minister Lavrov, Moscow and Washington agreed to ensure the appointment of ambassadors in the two capitals as soon as possible.

This cool wind came after a meeting of the senior delegations of the two countries in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The meeting of the delegations of Russia and the United States began at morning local time at one of the royal family's palaces, Al Diriyah, Albasateen Complex.

Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Aide to President Yury Ushakov, and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev.

Meanwhile, the United States was represented by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Riyadh's negotiations serve as a move to end Russia's war in Ukraine after President Donald Trump, who took office last month, ordered top officials to start negotiations.

Foreign Minister Rubio said both sides agreed as the first step towards appointing an official team to "work very quickly to rebuild the function of their respective missions."

The two countries have expelled diplomats and restricted the appointment of new staff on their respective missions in a series of countermeasures over the past decade, leading to the embassy's respective staff shortages.

Foreign Minister Rubio admits the measures "have really reduced our ability to operate in Moscow" and that Russia will say the same about its mission in Washington.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Lavrov raised the issue of Russia's mission function in the US with Foreign Minister Rubio in a phone call on Saturday last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The move appears to signal a significant easing of restrictions on Russia's diplomatic missions in the United States imposed by the previous US Administration over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and other Russian measures.

Foreign Minister Rubio said he would not publicly negotiate details on how the mission would be restored.