Russia says it is sending new US ambassador in latest sign of thaw

Russian officials appointed a new ambassador to the U.S. this week, announcing their intention to send Alexander Darchiev to Washington to help mend the troubled relationship between the two global leaders.

Darchiev, tapped to serve as the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry Department of North America, met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter on Thursday in Istanbul. The exchange comes as relations between the U.S. and Russia have thawed after sanctions were imposed on the eastern European nation following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“Joint measures were agreed upon to ensure the unfettered mutual financing of Russian and US diplomatic missions’ operations and to establish appropriate conditions for diplomats to fulfil their official duties,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday in a press release.

Darchiev and Coulter also discussed restoring six U.S. properties owned by Russia that the country claims were “unlawfully seized” between 2016 and 2018. Officials have also urged the White House to reopen restricted airspace that would allow direct flights into the U.S. from Russia.

“It is anticipated that today’s meeting will serve as the first in a sequence of such expert consultations, which may advance progress towards resolving differences with the American side and reinforcing confidence-building measures,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters.

The advancements come as President Trump and his administration have discussed peace plans that would end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House Friday for a high stakes meeting that was intended to end with a deal on exchanging critical minerals for security guarantees. However, a heated exchange led to a canceled press conference and Trump's decry that Zelensky was not "ready for peace."

Prior to the turmoil, Moscow's leaders said they were willing to further improve their relationship with the U.S. despite resistance from past administrations.

Trump is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia soon following negotiations in Riyadh earlier this month between administration officials and Russian leaders, though a timeline has not been shared.

The president has also previously accused Zelensky of starting the war and of being a dictator, though he walked back the harsh words on Thursday.

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