Russia’s Foreign Ministry says it has suggested restoring direct air links between Russia and the United States during the latest round of consultations with Washington.

The Russian Foreign Ministry praised the latest round of talks with the United States in a statement on Friday, calling them "substantive and businesslike." Russian and U.S. teams held six hours of talks in Turkey on Thursday to try to restore the normal functioning of their embassies,

Russia hopes the meeting with U.S. officials in Istanbul will "strengthen the trust" between the two countries, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Feb. 27. "We expect that today's meeting will be first in the series of similar expert consultations that will move us closer,