The United States refuses to discuss resuming direct air service with Russia, Russian Ambassador to Washington Alexander Darchiev stated in an interview with Kommersant.

Axar.az informs, citing TASS, "The State Department strongly refuses to discuss the return of six de facto confiscated items of diplomatic property, privately owned by the Russian Federation. American intelligence agencies, which have taken them under guard, are illegally preventing the Russian ambassador and our diplomats from accessing them," Darchiev noted.

"Similarly, by linking the start of any serious discussion on this issue to a US-favorable settlement in Ukraine, the American side is responding to the proposal to resume direct air service, which Washington halted following the start of the special military operation," he said.