The chances of normalizing Russia-US relations are quite promising, but this will take time, and Europe and Ukraine may be invited to join the discussions in the near future, political scientist and professor emeritus at Ohio State University John Mueller told Sputnik.
"The prospects of eventually normalizing US-Russian relations are pretty good, but this will take time," Mueller pointed out.
While it is too early to say for certain, it looks like the two countries are moving toward resolving the fighting in Ukraine, as both seem to be tired of the conflict, the expert noted.
On Thursday, senior Russian and US diplomats held six-and-a-half-hour talks in Istanbul, discussing normalizing embassy operations. The US State Department said that Washington's delegation stressed the need to ensure "stable and sustainable" staffing levels in the US embassy in Moscow, and that the sides identified steps towards stabilization of bilateral mission operations.
Last week, Russian and US delegations, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, held landmark talks in Riyadh to discuss the future of bilateral relations and Ukraine, among other issues. Following the talks, Lavrov said that Russia and the US had agreed to create high-level working groups to begin work on a speedy resolution of the crisis in Ukraine.