Russian deputy foreign minister meets with US ambassador in Moscow

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov held a scheduled meeting with US Ambassador Lynne Tracy on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Zakharova said Ryabkov and Tracy discussed issues related to the operation of Russian and US diplomatic missions.

"Ryabkov held a scheduled meeting with the US ambassador, focusing on the activities of foreign institutions," she stated.

The announcement came amid reports of a US plane arriving in Russia, allegedly carrying Steven Witkoff, a special envoy for the Middle East under the Trump administration. This led to speculation that Tracy may have accompanied him.

While Witkoff’s visit has not been officially confirmed, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviation, issued a statement confirming a one-time technical flight from Washington to Moscow on Tuesday.

"Today, a one-time technical flight of a sanitary nature was carried out from Washington to Moscow. This is a routine practice in humanitarian cooperation between states," Rosaviation spokesman Artyom Korenyako said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied any knowledge of Witkoff’s alleged visit.

"No, we have no information on that, and no meetings are planned," Peskov said.