MIAMI.- USA said on Tuesday that it authorized a Russian plane to fly to Washington to pick up diplomats despite a ban on commercial flights from Russia and demanded “reciprocity” in return.
“The US government has authorized the Russian government to send a chartered flight to the United States to bring back to Russia Russian diplomats whose terms have expired,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
No details were given on the number of diplomats concerned.
“In exchange for these authorizations, we expect Russia to keep our transport of diplomats and cargo to the embassy in Moscow,” he said.
Washington banned Russian planes from entering its airspace after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Diplomatic contacts between the US and Russia remain limited, although communication channels have remained open, especially to try to secure the release of US detainees in Russia.
*News in development
