Moscow sees Washington’s interest in resuming direct flights to Russia, Chief Executive Officer of Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Special Representative of Russian President for investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), adding that direct flights between the two countries may resume by the end of this year.

"We hope so. There were a lot of questions and discussions today stating that, obviously, direct flights are very important. Moreover, aircraft may fly bypassing Europe, which holds its extremely hostile stand on Russia. We see huge interest, including on the American side, on resumption of direct flights to Russia," he said in an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel when asked whether direct flights between Russia and the US could be resumed in 2025.

St. Petersburg may become one of the hubs for flights from the US, Dmitriev added. "Very pragmatic direct discussions are underway. We hope that this issue may be resolved positively this year," he noted.