WASHINGTON, July 18. /TASS/. Rodney Mims Cook Jr., head of the American delegation at the recent St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), is ready to negotiate the resumption of direct air service between Russia and the United States, if President Donald Trump approves such a shift in Washington's policy. Cook Jr., chairman of the independent US Commission of Fine Arts, made this assurance in an interview with TASS.
He called for Russia and the United States to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. Cook Jr. expressed full confidence that such a development would lead not only to the revival but also to the expansion of trade and economic cooperation between Moscow and Washington.
"We've got to stop the fighting because the markets of our two countries would go absolutely berserk if we can turn everything back on. And we can't until this (the Ukrainian conflict - TASS) is over. I can get a major airline, which I've already done, to fly JFK to Moscow if President Trump approves it," Cook Jr. said, without elaborating. According to the information he provided, the situation is currently complicated by concerns from American air carriers. "They say, 'We have to be sure we can land our planes safely,' and we can't," said the American official. He has connections, including in the US private sector.
