Russia has offered the United States to restore direct air links between the two countries during the latest round of consultations with Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday. Russian and US diplomats met in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss normalising the operation of their respective embassies that has been crippled by multiple round of diplomats' expulsions during previous years. The Russian Foreign Ministry hailed the talks as substantive and businesslike and noted in a statement that joint steps were agreed upon to ensure unimpeded financing of the activities of diplomatic missions of Russia and the United States on a reciprocal basis and to create appropriate conditions for diplomats to perform their official duties. The ministry said that it also offered the US to consider the possibility of restoring direct air traffic." It didn't add any details or possible time frame, and there was no immediate comment from Washington on the issue. US and other Western natio