Washington: The United States is still unable to use Russian airspace to deliver military supplies to Afghanistan despite a July deal with Moscow, the State Department said Friday, expressing hope the flights can start soon.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said negotiators were still hammering out details of the deal announced in July by presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev during a Moscow summit.
Under the terms of the agreement the United States would be allowed to launch up to 4,500 US flights a year over Russia, opening a major supply route for American operations in Afghanistan.
“We anticipate that regular flights will start as soon as we’ve worked out these remaining logistical details,” Kelly said on Monday.
“One of the points that we’re trying to iron out is notification processes that have to be in place,” he added.
“And we’re also working with other countries on the transit routes since anything overflying Russia to go to Afghanistan would have to fly over other countries as well.”
