[Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:31:37 +0300]

Moscow - Saba:

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov expressed his country's hope on Tuesday that the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump would provide impetus for the normalization of bilateral relations, including the resumption of flights.

Ryabkov told the Russian newspaper Izvestia: "We hope that the upcoming meeting at the highest levels will give impetus to the normalization of bilateral relations, which will allow for the resolution of some issues, such as the resumption of flights, although it is clear that the two leaders will focus on completely different topics."

The Kremlin and the White House had previously reported that Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump would meet in Alaska on August 15. According to Yuri Ushakov, the Russian presidential aide, Steve Witkov, the US president's special envoy, mentioned during his visit to Russia in the Kremlin the option of a trilateral meeting between Putin, Trump, and Vladimir Zelenskyy, but the Russian side left the proposal unanswered, suggesting focusing on preparing for a bilateral summit.

President Putin stated last Thursday that a meeting with Zelenskyy was possible, but that conditions must be created for such negotiations, which remain a long way off. Zelenskyy himself said, ahead of the meeting between Putin and Trump, that he "will not make territorial concessions," he said.