Moscow downplayed the visit of a special diplomatic flight from the Kremlin’s presidential fleet to the U.S. in late December, as speculation swirls over how the new U.S. administration will handle the fraught dynamics with Russia.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed the aircraft had traveled from Russia to the U.S., but said it was carrying “another rotation of diplomats,” in remarks reported by Russian media.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian foreign ministry for further comment via email and to the White House.
Relations between Russia and the United States are at their worst in decades and plummeted after Moscow introduced its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Nearly three years into the war, nuclear rhetoric is seeping into the standoff as Washington steadily supports kyiv.
President-elect Donald Trump, less than a month before his inauguration, promised to end the war in Ukraine in just one day. NATO officials have predicted that the new president could try to strike a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he has said he has good relations.
Some officials worry that the deal will hurt kyiv, and others worry that an end to active fighting could replace the situation on NATO’s eastern border in Europe.
Flight tracking data shows that an Il-96 from Special Rossiya Squadron took off from Moscow bound for St. Petersburg on Dec. 25, before departing Russia’s second city on Dec. 26 and arriving in New York.
The aircraft then flew from New York to Washington, D.C., the same day, according to FlightRadar24. On December 28, the Il-96 left Washington for New York, before flying back to Moscow.
The Rossiya special squad is intended to transport Putin and “senior officials of the country,” according to Russian state media.
The Rossiya special squadron has about 2,500 personnel and operates Russian Il-96 and Tu-214 aircraft, as well as Mi-38 helicopters, according to the official Tass news agency. FlightRadar24 tracks 60 aircraft belonging to the Special Flight Squadron, adding thirteen Il-96 aircraft and five Tu-214 aircraft.
The unit belongs to the 235th Separate Aviation Detachment.
According to the news agency, the unit was created in 1956 when the Soviet leaders of the time opted to use passenger planes instead of military aircraft to transport Kremlin officials around the world.
The unit was founded at Vnukovo airport, just southwest of the capital, Tass reported.
With Trump’s return to the White House just weeks away, transition work will most likely continue in the background in preparation for Jan. 20.
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense journalist based in London, United Kingdom. His paintings largely focus on the war between Russia and Ukraine, the US military, weapons systems, and emerging technologies. She joined Newsweek in January 2023, after working as a journalist at the Daily Express, and has a degree in foreign journalism from City University of London. Languages: English, Spanish. You can contact Ellie by email at e. cook@newsweek. com.