In a Nov. 19 interview with the Russian business newspaper Kommersant, Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Alexander Darchiev complains that progress in restoring U.S.-Russia diplomatic relations has stalled. “The State Department flat out refuses to discuss returning six seized diplomatic properties owned by the Russian Federation as private property,” Ambassador Darchiev said. “The American side ties serious discussions of this matter in with a settlement in Ukraine that suits its interests. It rejects our proposal to resume direct air travel, which Washington suspended after the start of the special military operation, tying it to Ukraine settlement as well.”