A Russian passenger jet, part of the “Rossija” squadron, was sent to the US to transport Russian diplomats, according to the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Maria Zakharova.
Earlier, several Russian Telegram channels, citing data from FlightRadar, reported that the government plane had spent two days in US airspace, sparking speculation about the purpose of the flight and potential talks between Moscow and Washington.
The “Rossija” fleet typically serves the highest-ranking Russian officials and Kremlin pool journalists. In recent months, the squadron’s planes were used in the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War, when Russia and the US swapped 26 people held in various countries.
The latest flight, conducted by a Russian Ilyushin Il-96-300, took off from St. Petersburg on December 25, flew to Moscow, then to New York, and returned to Moscow via New York on December 28.
During a brief press conference on Monday, Zakharova said the purpose of the flight was “another rotation of diplomats.”
In October, the Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, completed his term and returned to Moscow. Later, Kommersant reported that the post would be taken over by Alexander Darchiev, the head of the North America department at the Ministry, who previously served as ambassador to Canada.
The Foreign Ministry did not reveal when the new ambassador would arrive in Washington, with Zakharova stating last week that the new envoy was still in Moscow.
The relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated further since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.
In recent years, the two countries have repeatedly expelled each other’s diplomats. In 2017, the US closed the Russian consulate in San Francisco, as well as the Russian trade mission in Washington and New York. Moscow responded by closing the US consulate in St. Petersburg. In 2020, the US suspended the activities of two of its remaining consulates in Russia.