Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss normalizing the operation of their respective embassies after years expelling each others' diplomats. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks followed an understanding reached during President Donald Trump's call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and

"We expect that today's meeting will be first in the series of similar expert consultations that will move us closer, together with the U.S., in overcoming disagreements and strengthening trust," spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing.

The Kremlin spokesman said on Thursday that Moscow does not expect any breakthroughs from the Russia-US talks taking place in Istanbul. Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov noted that the US and Russia have accumulated too many issues in their relations to mend them swiftly.