MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. The Russian Football Union (RFU) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have agreed on the terms of their further interaction regarding the return of Russia’s national teams and clubs to the international arena, the RFU’s press office said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The working meeting between the RFU and UEFA is over," the statement reads. "The key issue on the meeting’s agenda was the return of the Russian national teams and [football] clubs to international tournaments."

"Both sides have come to the terms of their further interaction and agreed to maintain contact. The next face-to-face meeting between the RFU and UEFA is scheduled for February," the statement added.

The Union of European Football Associations and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) barred Russian clubs and teams on February 28, 2022, from participating in international competitions due to the situation around Ukraine.

The Russian team was unable to take part in the playoff qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Russian national squad did not participate as well in the draw for the 2024 European Championship.

RFU President Alexander Dyukov announced in late November that because of Russia’s suspension from the UEFA and FIFA competitions at the level of national teams and football clubs, the RFU eyed membership prospects with the Asian Football Confederation.

In late December, the RFU came up with an initiative to form a task group that would interact with the UEFA and other organizations regarding the return of Russian football clubs and national teams to official tournaments, while talks on Russia’s switch to the AFC had been postponed indefinitely.

Since the suspension, the Russian national team held an unofficial friendly match with Kyrgyzstan (2-1). In November, Valery Karpin's team played against Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Both matches ended in a scoreless draw. The results of the games were included in the FIFA rankings.

On February 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

Following the suspension of Russian athletes from international tournaments, many sports federations hinted at their possible participation in Asia-based sports tournaments.