Diplomats from Russia and the United States will meet in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss the operation of their respective embassies in Moscow and Washington, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.

MOSCOW — Russia has offered the United States to restore direct air links between the two countries during the latest round of consultations with Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

U.S. and Russian diplomats met Thursday in Istanbul, looking for ways to smooth their embassy relationships in Moscow and Washington after frequent expulsion of each other’s diplomats and three years of American opposition to Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

Russian and U.S. diplomats have held talks in Istanbul to discuss ways to normalize the operation of their embassies after diplomatic expulsions.

The U.S. has given Moscow its approval to appoint Alexander Darchiyev as the next Russian Ambassador to Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

Moscow expects that today's expert consultations with the United States in Istanbul will strengthen trust between Moscow and Washington and bring the parties closer to overcoming differences. This was stated at a briefing by the official representative of the Russian Foreign