Russia and the U.S. both see draft accords discussed by Moscow and Kyiv in the early weeks of the war as a possible basis for a Ukraine peace deal, the Kremlin said on Friday, though Ukraine's president has previously rejected them as unacceptable.

The Istanbul talks can't serve as the basis for a Ukraine-Russia peace deal, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said on March 6. "The Istanbul accords happened 30 days after the invasion,

Russia’s Foreign Ministry says it has suggested restoring direct air links between Russia and the United States during the latest round of consultations with Washington.

The Russian Foreign Ministry praised the latest round of talks with the United States in a statement on Friday, calling them "substantive and businesslike." Russian and U.S. teams held six hours of talks in Turkey on Thursday to try to restore the normal functioning of their embassies,

Rapprochement between the U.S. and Russia – following a diplomat-level meeting in Istanbul last week – gathered pace Thursday with the appointment of

Turkish Airlines and Emirates are among the carriers that have continued operating flights to Russia since the Ukraine invasion three years ago.

Russian and U.S. teams held six hours of talks in Turkey on Thursday to try to restore normal functioning of their embassies, and Vladimir Putin said initial contacts with Donald Trump's new administration had inspired hope.

Witkoff, Trump’s top negotiator, said the U.S. would be looking to talks from early in the war as a basis for a deal. Ukraine’s supporters saw it as an embrace of a Kremlin talking point.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on Wednesday that a meeting between Russian and US representatives to discuss embassy operations will take place on Thursday in Istanbul.

"The United States raised concerns regarding access to banking and contracted services as well as the need to ensure stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow," the U.S. State Department said.

Putin has often said the 2022 peace negotiations in Istanbul could serve as a framework for peace talks with Ukraine.

We hope that today's meeting, the first in a series of expert consultations, will bring us and the American side closer to overcoming differences and strengthening trust,' says Russian Foreign Ministr