U.S.-Russia talks begin in Finland

Helsinki is the scene on Monday and Tuesday of talks between Russian deputy foreign minister and his U.S. counterpart, but the schedule and location of the talks have not been made known.

Meanwhile, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and U.S. under secretary of state Thomas Shannon met on Monday afternoon at the presidential residence in western Helsinki.

The presidential office said Niinistö would meet Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov on Tuesday at the presidential castle.

However, neither the U.S. nor the Russian embassies had revealed any details about the schedule or even the location of their talks by Monday afternoon local time, Finnish News Agency STT reported.

The meeting was scheduled during a diplomatic row that has gone on for months between the U.S. and Russia about mutual actions to reduce the size of each other's diplomatic missions.

During Niinistö's visit to Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump voiced his willingness to improve the relationship with Russia and halt its deterioration.