The US State Department has expressed concern over the possible resumption of flights between Georgia and Russia.

 "Many Western countries, including the United States, prohibit Russian aircraft from entering their airspace. We will be concerned about the resumption of flights between Russia and Georgia, given that companies at Georgian airports may be subject to sanctions if they operate aircraft subject to additional import and export controls," the agency said in a statement to the Voice of America's Georgian service.

 The agency added that "the entire Western community has distanced itself from this brutal regime - now is not the time to expand cooperation with Russia."

 Earlier, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that Washington is putting pressure on Ankara to ban Russian airlines from flying American-made planes to Turkey.

 The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov, said that he hopes for a quick resumption of direct flights with Georgia. The initiative was supported by the ruling Georgian Dream party, while President Salomi Zurabishvili opposed it.