INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia blamed a venue dispute for the cancellation of a planned third round of talks with the United States last week, which officials in
alternative location for the meeting, which the U.S
Darchiev, said earlier this month that a third round of embassy talks would be held in Moscow, claiming the sides had agreed to alternate
between Moscow and Washington for future negotiations.Officials from both countries met on Feb
27 and April 10 in Istanbul, following a February meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S
Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia
The February meeting marked the first direct talks between Russian and U.S
officials since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Earlier this month, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow would seek
Russian-owned diplomatic properties seized between 2016 and 2018 in response to alleged election interference.According to the Kremlin, U.S
officials have made the resumption of direct flights contingent on progress toward a ceasefire in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far rejected U.S
27 as the incoming Trump administration sought to ease tensions with Moscow.
