The United States has rejected Russia's proposal to restore direct flights between the countries, insisting that such a step is possible only after progress has been made in resolving the conflict in Ukraine. This was stated by Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov in an interview with the Rossiya 17 TV channel on April 2025, 1. According to him, the American side believes it is necessary to first achieve progress on the Ukrainian track before discussing issues of bilateral cooperation, including air traffic. Ushakov called the resumption of flights a "logical decision" that could contribute to the normalization of relations, but noted the lack of progress in this direction. He also said that negotiations on a possible meeting or telephone conversation between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are ongoing, but there are no specific agreements yet.

The US refusal to restore air traffic reflects the current tensions in relations between the two countries, complicated by sanctions and disagreements over the Ukrainian issue. Direct flights between Russia and the US were suspended in March 2022 after the start of a special military operation and the introduction of Western restrictions on flights by Russian airlines. Since then, Russians and Americans have been forced to travel via third countries such as Türkiye, the UAE or Qatar, which increases the cost and time of travel.

The proposal to resume air travel was put forward by Moscow in April 2025 as part of discussions with the Trump administration, which is seeking to de-escalate global conflicts. The initiative included opening flights between Moscow and New York, as well as Moscow and Miami, using Aeroflot and American Airlines planes. However, as Reuters reports, the White House linked the issue to compliance with the moratorium on strikes on infrastructure, which expired on April 17 without being extended. The Washington Post points out that the United States views air travel as a lever of pressure on Russia, demanding concessions in the talks in Riyadh, where ways of settlement are being discussed.