Ushakov stated in a press release in response to a question about cooperation between the two countries: “Contacts are being made between the Russian Federation and the United States at various levels, and the embassies in Washington and Moscow are working.” The Russian President’s assistant continued: “I cannot say there is a halt, but there is no new news yet.” Lavrov said in an interview with the Sputnik agency: “There are many issues we have inherited from the previous American administration. It will take a long time to correct this chaos.” He added: “With the arrival of the new administration, we have noticed progress. This is happening already, but not as quickly as we would like.” He continued: “On our part, within this dialogue, we consider it important to move towards addressing issues such as establishing direct air service and returning the Russian diplomatic properties that were illegally seized by former U.S. President Barack Obama in December 2016, three weeks before Donald Trump’s first inauguration.” Lavrov further stated: “The American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and I understand the importance of regular communication. It is crucial for discussing and advancing bilateral cooperation. For this reason, we communicate by phone and are also ready to hold personal meetings when necessary.”
