WASHINGTON: The United States and Russia will hold talks on Thursday in Istanbul on restoring some of their embassy operations that have been drastically scaled back following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the US State Department said.
The talks, the second of their kind, come after President Donald Trump reached out to Russia following the start of his second term and offered better ties if it winds down fighting in Ukraine.
The two sides will “try to make progress on further stabilizing the operations of our bilateral missions,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday.
“There are no political or security issues on the agenda, and Ukraine is not — absolutely not — on the agenda,” she said.
“These talks are solely focused on our embassy operations, not on normalizing a bilateral relationship.”
The talks are going ahead despite Russia rejecting a Ukraine-backed US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday lamented the lack of a US response.
Trump a day later told reporters that he was not happy that Russia was “bombing like crazy right now.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously said that it is important for both the United States and Russia to resume higher staffing at their respective embassies to improve contacts, regardless of the situation in Ukraine.
![]()
US, Russia to meet Thursday in Istanbul on restoring embassy operations
Short Url
https://arab.news/gdaqm
US, Russia to meet Thursday in Istanbul on restoring embassy operations
- State Department says the two sides will hold talks on Thursday in Istanbul
South Korea’s Lee calls for probe into links between religious group and politics
- President orders his ministers to consider ways to ‘disband religious groups that meddle in politics and do strange things with illegal funds’
SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called for an investigation into the suspected illegal links between a religious group and politicians, Lee’s office said on Wednesday.
Lee’s order should apply “no matter whether (a politician is from the) ruling or opposition party, a high or low position,” the presidential office said in a statement.
The statement did not specify the religious group.
During a livestreamed cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee said he had ordered his ministers to consider ways to “disband religious groups that meddle in politics and do strange things with illegal funds,” and asked about how South Korea’s process to disband a religious group differed from Japan’s system.
Lee’s spokesperson on Tuesday also said the president had not singled out a particular religious group.
Some politicians have said, however, that Lee’s comments appeared to be directed at the Unification Church, whose leader Han Hak-ja is currently on trial over allegations she bribed former first lady Kim Keon Hee in return for political favors.
The case is part of a string of investigations by special prosecutors into ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim in the wake of Yoon’s martial law order in December 2024.
Han has denied any wrongdoing.
A former Unification Church official told a special prosecutor that lawmakers in Lee’s ruling party also received funds from the Unification Church, South Korean media has reported.
Police have been asked to investigate any contacts between ruling party members and the Unification Church, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Unification Church did not have an immediate comment on Wednesday.
In Japan, a Tokyo district court ordered the dissolution of the Unification Church in March. The case has since gone to appeal.
Lee’s order should apply “no matter whether (a politician is from the) ruling or opposition party, a high or low position,” the presidential office said in a statement.
The statement did not specify the religious group.
During a livestreamed cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee said he had ordered his ministers to consider ways to “disband religious groups that meddle in politics and do strange things with illegal funds,” and asked about how South Korea’s process to disband a religious group differed from Japan’s system.
Lee’s spokesperson on Tuesday also said the president had not singled out a particular religious group.
Some politicians have said, however, that Lee’s comments appeared to be directed at the Unification Church, whose leader Han Hak-ja is currently on trial over allegations she bribed former first lady Kim Keon Hee in return for political favors.
The case is part of a string of investigations by special prosecutors into ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim in the wake of Yoon’s martial law order in December 2024.
Han has denied any wrongdoing.
A former Unification Church official told a special prosecutor that lawmakers in Lee’s ruling party also received funds from the Unification Church, South Korean media has reported.
Police have been asked to investigate any contacts between ruling party members and the Unification Church, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Unification Church did not have an immediate comment on Wednesday.
In Japan, a Tokyo district court ordered the dissolution of the Unification Church in March. The case has since gone to appeal.
Latest updates
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.