Russia wishes to restore direct flights with the United States and has already begun working toward this, but there is still no appropriate response from the American side, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters.

“On our side, today, in the bilateral dialogue with the United States, we are focusing, among other things, on the restoration of direct flights. Unfortunately, there is still no proper response from the American side. We are making additional efforts, and our competent agencies and structures are involved in this work,” Ryabkov said.

“We hope that by the time the so-called ‘bilateral consultations,’ which have been taking place in recent months, resume, a more constructive stance will be shaped in Washington and that we will make real progress in resolving this issue,” the Russian minister added.

Earlier, he mentioned that Moscow and Washington would try to hold another meeting to improve their relations before the end of autumn.

Talks on ways to normalize the operation of Russian and American embassies and to address problems in bilateral relations were held in Istanbul on February 27 and April 10.