Russia to raise resumption of direct flights at talks with US in Istanbul, TASS says

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MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia will raise the issue of the resumption of direct flights with the U.S. and the return of diplomatic property at Russian-U.S. talks on Thursday in Istanbul, Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Alexander Darchiev, was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Direct flights between the U.S. and Russia, along with those to many other countries, were halted after Moscow ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian state news agency TASS cited Darchiev as saying that Russia would raise the issue of resuming the flights. The move would, he said: “stimulate business and make life easier for ordinary people on both sides of the ocean.”

According to TASS, Darchiev also said that Russia was prepared for “a serious conversation” demanding the return of Russian diplomatic property seized by U.S. authorities.

Two Russian diplomatic compounds, one in Maryland and another on Long Island, were seized by U.S. authorities in 2016, when then President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russians over what he said was their involvement in hacking to interfere in that year’s U.S. presidential election.

Russia has long demanded the compounds be returned, and has seized U.S. diplomatic property near Moscow in retaliation.

(Writing by Felix Light; editing by Philippa Fletcher)