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

"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.

While the scope of the talks is narrow and will not include Ukraine, they will provide a test of both sides' seriousness about repairing their relations and working to end the war. The meeting follows a phone call between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Feb.