Russia has asked United States representatives to consider reopening US airspace to Russian aircraft and resume direct flights between the two countries, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
In a statement issued on February 28, 2025, the ministry said the official proposal was made during discussions between Russian and US authorities in Istanbul, Turkey, on February 27, 2025.
The talks involved US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Coulter and Director of the North Atlantic Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Darchiev. The statement said the two officials spoke about “the normalization of the functioning of the diplomatic missions of both countries as a follow-up to recent bilateral contacts at the top and high levels.”
In accordance with the instructions of the foreign ministers, the two leaders discussed ways to overcome the numerous “irritants” inherited from previous US administrations, the Russian statement noted.
“We agreed on joint steps to ensure unhindered financing of the activities of the diplomatic missions of Russia and the United States on a reciprocal basis and to create appropriate conditions for diplomats to perform their official duties,” the statement continued.
The Russian Foreign Ministry added that the US was asked to consider the possibility of restoring direct flights to and from Russia.
According to a statement from the US after the Istanbul meeting, seen by CNN, the US and Russia had “constructive discussions,” but did not specifically mention Russia requesting that direct flights between the two countries be restored.
On February 24, 2025, the European Commission announced renewed sanctions against Moscow, including an extension of the flight ban on airlines from other countries flying to Europe if they operate domestic flights within Russia.
The latest package extends the flight ban to third-country airlines that conduct domestic flights within Russia or supply aviation goods to Russian airlines. The ban impacts transactions with two airports in Moscow, Vnukovo Airport (VKO) and Zhukovsky Airport (ZIA), as well as four regional airports.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine’s allies, such as the US, Canada, the European Union, and other Western nations, prohibited Russian aircraft from entering their airspace.