Overview
- Ambassador Alexander Darchiev said the State Department refuses to open talks on resuming direct air links and on the status of six Russian diplomatic properties.
- He said the properties, which Moscow considers privately owned diplomatic real estate, are guarded by U.S. agencies and remain inaccessible to Russian diplomats.
- Darchiev said Washington links any substantive discussion, including reviving air connections suspended after 2022, to a settlement in Ukraine that meets U.S. terms.
- He described the U.S.–Russia dialogue as stalled rather than halted, with contacts continuing across several levels.
- Moscow urged a broad normalization of relations instead of focusing on visa and operational irritants, citing the August Anchorage leaders’ meeting as a lingering positive impulse.