No Secrets: Behind the Russian Flight to Washington

The US government allowed Russia to send a chartered plane to Washington, D.C., to bring back Russian diplomats who had expired, in a derogation of the US embargo on Russian planes after it invaded Ukraine from Moscow. Confirmation came from a State Department spokesperson Matthew MillerWho made it clear that Washington now expected “reciprocity” in the treatment. “In exchange for these permits, we expect Russia to maintain our diplomatic transportation and cargo transportation for the Embassy in MoscowThe spokesman noted that at the moment, the number of Russian diplomats working in Washington, D.C., whose mandate has expired, has not been disclosed.

Moscow also confirms

According to Moscow, there is nothing strange or relevant about Washington’s mandate. “There is an uproar in some media regarding a Russian trip to the United States. There is nothing exciting. The plane will bring back Russian diplomats who have been ordered by the US authorities to leave the country after a three-year stayHe said on Tuesday tax Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharov. The latter indicated thatIt is not about expulsion, but about the restrictions that Washington imposed on Russian foreign institutionsAccording to Flightradar24, an Ilyushin-96 belonging to Russia’s special flight group departed from Moscow for Washington on Tuesday. One of these is the Russian Ilyushin-96 Spotted in Berlin, Germany. The plane allegedly flew to the German capital to escort about 150 people back to Russia. This is the second flight the plane has made in the past 12 months.

Limited diplomatic contacts

In general, diplomatic contacts between Washington and Moscow are still limited. If US airspace is closed to Russian planes, then naturally this also applies to American planes. This, of course, has led to major setbacks for scheduled commercial flights. As I mentioned The New York Times Last March, in fact, unable to fly through Russian airspace because of the war in Ukraine, and American airlines “They are stepping up the lobbying campaign at the Capitol and the White House“To address what they say is a growing problem: the loss of customers and business to foreign competitors who can fly passengers between the US and Asia faster and cheaper. At the expense of US companies, for example Air India, Emirates Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines that can safely fly over the sphere. Russian Air: American Airlines estimated at $2 billion Loss of market share by US airlines during the year. massive damage.