April 10 (UPI) — U.S. and Russian officials met in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday to continue negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and improve relations between Russia and the United States.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Russia and Central Europe Sonata Coulter and Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Darchiyev conducted the meeting, which addressed concerns about U.S. Embassy staffing in Moscow.

“The United States reiterated its concerns about the Russian Federations’ policy prohibiting the employment of local staff, which is the key impediment to maintaining stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow,” the State Department announced Thursday.

Thursday’s meeting continued the “constructive approach established in the Feb. 27 meeting” and U.S. and Russian delegations “exchanged notes to finalize and understanding to ensure the stability of diplomatic banking for Russian and U.S. bilateral missions,” according to the State Department.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on Feb. 18 to begin discussions on ending the war in Ukraine.

An initial conference was held on Feb. 27, and Thursday’s meeting was the second aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Coulter and Darchiyev agreed to schedule another meeting but did not choose a time or place for that meeting.

During the Feb. 18 meeting, Rubio and Lavrov agreed to establish a “consultation mechanism” and appoint diplomatic teams to “lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities” after ending the war in Ukraine.