Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov met with U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy in Moscow on Feb. 11, Russian state media outlet TASS reported without providing details on the content of the discussions.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova later said the meeting focused on "the activities of foreign institutions."
According to Rybakov, diplomatic contacts between Russia and the U.S. have been kept to an absolute minimum in 2024. Relations between Moscow and Washington have sharply deteriorated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Both the Russian Embassy in Washington and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow continue to operate in limited capacities. U.S. consular services in Russia have been largely suspended since 2021 due to Moscow's restrictions on diplomatic staffing.
The meeting comes as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Feb. 9 that the U.S. had made progress in talks to end Russia's war against Ukraine but declined to provide details.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump confirmed that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had been in contact but did not specify whether their discussions occurred before or after his inauguration.
Speaking to the Kyiv Independent, American political analyst Alexandra Filippenko pointed out that Lynne and Rybakov's talks mark an unusually high-level meeting.
"It doesn't mean that the American side is making (an effort to restore ties), but the Russian side is showing an increased level of communication," she added.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
(Updated: )
