The US and Russia have agreed to restore the previous number of embassy staff.

The United States and Russia have agreed to restore the number of staff at their diplomatic missions in Moscow and Washington.

According to Associated Press, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made this statement following talks with a Russian delegation that took place in Saudi Arabia.

Rubio stated that the full operation of diplomatic missions is essential for maintaining communication channels between the countries.

“We will need active embassies that can operate effectively so that we can continue our diplomatic work,” he said.

The Secretary of State also noted that ending the war in Ukraine will require prolonged and intensive diplomacy. He added that U.S. President Donald Trump aims to ensure a fair resolution to the conflict to prevent its resurgence in a few years.

However, Rubio emphasized that the end of the war is only possible with the consent of all parties, and the terms must be “acceptable” to all participants.

Earlier, Russia and the U.S. exchanged diplomatic expulsions multiple times. Since 2000, the United States has expelled 225 Russian diplomatic staff, making it a leader among Western countries in this regard.

The first public dialogue between the Russian and U.S. delegations since the start of the war in Ukraine occurred on February 18 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, but ended without significant breakthroughs. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated that despite discussions lasting 4.5 hours, the positions of the parties could not be aligned.

No specific agreements were reached regarding a possible meeting between Putin and Donald Trump either. According to Bloomberg, the American side hoped to hold this meeting as early as next week. During the negotiations, the topic of Ukraine was discussed, but the agreements were limited to a decision to continue contacts without a clear schedule or participant list.

The U.S. State Department confirmed the lack of specific outcomes.

“One meeting is not enough to establish lasting peace,” said State Department spokesperson Temmi Bruce in a comment to Bloomberg.

Background. Recall: following the negotiations in Riyadh, Marco Rubio explained how the process would develop further, outlining three components for the next stage.

When asked about lifting sanctions on Russia, Rubio stated that it is still a long way off, and today only the process of negotiations was agreed to be initiated.

For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated three agreements that were reached. He mentioned that the Russian and U.S. delegations achieved mutual understanding on various issues, but this does not mean their positions have converged.