A senior Russian official stated on Thursday that the United States has indicated it will only consider the resumption of direct air travel between the two nations if tangible progress is made towards a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Yury Ushakov, an aide on foreign policy to President Vladimir Putin, shared this information with state television journalist Pavel Zarubin, noting, “The Americans still maintain that there needs to be advancements regarding Ukraine before any discussions about reinstating air travel can begin.” He added, “In my view, this would be a thoroughly rational decision.”

Following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, both the U.S. and the European Union barred Russian airline operations from entering their airspace, to which Russia retaliated by imposing similar bans on Western carriers.

The idea of restoring direct flights was initially brought up by Russia during discussions with U.S. officials in Istanbul on February 27, coinciding with a warming of relations between Moscow and the newly inaugurated Trump administration.

This topic resurfaced in early April when Kirill Dmitriev, the chief of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, visited Washington to speak with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. After those meetings, Dmitriev announced that “active efforts” were being made to revive the direct air connection.

Last month, Alexander Darchiev, Russia’s newly appointed ambassador to the United States, expressed his intention to “work diligently” on reinstating air travel and streamlining visa processes for citizens of both nations, asserting that practical measures had already commenced and were gaining traction.

Nevertheless, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed the negotiations. Shortly after Dmitriev’s visit, he stated, “I haven’t heard anything regarding direct flights. I can tell you — but I’m not sure who would be flying on those, given that all these individuals are under sanctions.”