The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed hope for a boost in relations with the United States after the Alaska meeting

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in an interview with Izvestia, expressed hope that the upcoming summit between Russia and the United States would give a new impetus to the normalization of bilateral relations, including in resolving the issue of resuming direct flights between the countries.

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On August 8, American leader Donald Trump announced a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov called the choice of a venue for negotiations logical. He said that the economic interests of the states intersect in the region.

"We hope that the upcoming summit will give an impetus to the normalization of bilateral relations, which will make it possible to move forward with the resolution of such issues (the restoration of air traffic. — Ed.). Although it is clear that the leaders will focus on completely different topics," Sergei Ryabkov told Izvestia.

However, according to the diplomat, progress on the return of diplomatic infrastructure facilities has not yet been recorded.

"No, unfortunately, there is no progress on this issue," Ryabkov said.

Due to anti-Russian sanctions, the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, the trade mission in Washington and its branch in New York were closed in 2017. In 2018, the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Seattle also stopped working. In addition, Russian diplomats lost access to the Killenworth estate on Long Island, near New York, and to a suburban complex in Maryland, located 100 km from Washington. Russia owned some of these facilities and leased others.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

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