Russia says 3rd round of consultations with US to take place 'very soon'

While no specific date has been set, there are strong indications that the event will occur "very soon," Ryabkov told reporters in Russia's resort city of Sochi.

"The third round of bilateral consultations on irritants is imminent. Though it's premature to specify a date, I hope the round will take place very soon," he said.

According to him, despite some progress a broad range of issues remains on the agenda, "varying in difficulty, though none of them are simple in relation to the US."

After Donald Trump became the US president, Moscow and Washington held two meetings in Istanbul -- on Feb. 27 and April 10 -- to normalize the functioning of diplomatic missions and improve bilateral relations.

In the last consultation, the parties agreed to simplify the movement regime for diplomats and address the issue of confiscated Russian diplomatic properties in the US.