Russia says US yet to respond to proposal on resuming direct flights

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia proposed resuming direct flights with the US but has received no response from Washington, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, state news agency TASS reported.

Speaking at a media forum in Moscow, Zakharova said the proposal concerned the restoration of routes such as Moscow-New York and Moscow-Washington.

“As for how flights will operate, that’s a question for the US. We made a proposal to resume direct flights … There’s still no answer,” she said.

Zakharova also commented on visa procedures, saying Russia continues to issue visas “promptly” to US citizens despite what she described as American restrictions.

“No matter how much our embassy and consulates were cut, it never stopped Russian diplomats from issuing visas as quickly as before,” she said, adding that US missions generally tightened visa procedures for Russians when Moscow responded to diplomatic expulsions.

She said American applicants can obtain Russian visas “very simply,” while Russian citizens face significantly longer waits and often must travel abroad for interviews, with appointments taking “six months or more.”

“We never take it out on people; we never take revenge on individuals for the mistakes of their regimes,” she said, stressing that Russia will continue issuing visas swiftly to Americans.