US, Russia agree to restore diplomatic missions as first step in Ukraine war talks

U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attends an interview after participating in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool

RIYADH/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. and Russia agreed on Tuesday to restore the normal functioning of each other's diplomatic missions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after talks between senior U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.

The move appeared to signal a significant easing of restrictions on Russian diplomatic missions in the United States that were imposed by past U.S. administrations over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and other Russian actions.