Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Turkey on Thursday for talks to resolve disputes over the work of their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, a first test of their ability to reset wider relations and work towards ending the war in Ukraine.

Russian and U.S. diplomats have held talks in Istanbul to discuss ways to normalize the operation of their respective embassies after rounds of diplomatic expulsions in recent years.

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.