Civil Aviation

White House meetings with Kremlin envoy include talks on restoring direct air service between the United States and Russia for the first time since the 2022 Ukraine invasion. A sanctioned Russian official met with Trump administration personnel in Washington to discuss resuming direct flights between the United States and Russia, according to people familiar with the matter cited by The New York Times. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), traveled to the White House for meetings with Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East. The discussions focused on relations between the two countries, including potential restoration of direct air connections that were suspended following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. During the meeting, Dmitriev reportedly remarked that U.S.-based companies have "a great desire to return to Russia," while noting that Russia was working to restore direct flights to the United States. This marks the latest in a series of diplomatic discussions about reestablishing air links between the two nations. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in February following a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, where discussions "centered on normalizing the operation of diplomatic missions of both countries." "The necessity of achieving tangible outcomes to foster conditions conducive to improving bilateral relations, in the interests of both nations, was underscored. In particular, the American side was encouraged to consider the restoration of direct air service between the two countries," the ministry statement said. The Trump administration's diplomatic engagement with Russia represents a break from the collective Western approach toward Moscow since the Ukraine invasion. While flights from the United States, European Union, and other Western countries were suspended in 2022, Russian citizens have remained able to apply for non-immigrant U.S. visas, according to the U.S. Embassy in Russia. Currently, Russians seeking to travel to the United States must use connecting flights through third countries such as Turkey or the United Arab Emirates. According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium's Diio Mi airline planning tool, 13 airlines currently offer connecting service between Russia and the United States. These carriers include Air China, Air Serbia, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, EgyptAir, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Qatar Airways, Sichuan Airlines, and Turkish Airlines. The data shows these airlines operate 299 weekly departures from Russia in April, with Turkish Airlines leading with 106 weekly flights. In total, the 13 carriers offer 480 connections to the United States, with Turkish Airlines (146), Emirates (117), and Qatar Airways (100) providing the most service options. In February, the European Commission adopted new sanctions extending its flight ban to include third-country operators conducting domestic flights within Russia or supplying aviation goods to Russian airlines. "If listed, these airlines will not be allowed to fly to the EU," the commission stated. Key Takeaways Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, met with Trump administration officials to discuss resuming direct U.S.-Russia flights. Direct air service between the countries has been suspended since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Currently, 13 international airlines provide connecting service between Russia and the U.S. through third countries. The discussions represent a shift from the broader Western approach of maintaining sanctions against Russia. Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways currently offer the most connecting options between the two countries.

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