Russian Foreign Ministry (MFA) spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated on Monday that the United States has called off the next round of Trade Talks with Russia, which were intended to restore the diplomatic ties between the nations.

“As of today, the next round of bilateral consultations aimed at resolving complications and normalizing the work of both countries’ diplomatic missions has been canceled at the initiative of the American negotiators,” Zakharova said in a brief statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

“We hope that the pause they have taken won’t last too long,” she added.
Zakharova’s remarks came one week after Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov indicated that the talks would occur ‘very soon,’ though Washington did not officially confirm the meeting.

Ryabkov stated that Moscow would press Washington for more definitive responses regarding its proposal to restart direct flights between Russia and the U.S., along with the return of six Russian diplomatic properties that were confiscated between 2016 and 2018 following allegations of election interference.

Representatives from both nations had earlier convened in Istanbul on February 27 and April 10, building on a prior meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia.

In February, Russia and the United States held their first discussions in Riyadh since the onset of the war in Ukraine. During those talks, both sides addressed the broader state of bilateral relations, explored the possibility of a presidential summit, and considered potential avenues for ending the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Alexander Darchiev indicated last week that the next round of talks was likely to be held soon in Moscow. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has yet to issue a response to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement regarding the cancellation.

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