Teams from the two nations have been banned from participating in FIDE's competitions since March due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Belarus' role in supporting their ally.

It was imposed following the International Olympic Committee's recommendation to bar competitors from Russia and Belarus.

With the war raging and no end in sight, the Russian official insisted he cannot guarantee when the countries will return.

"I have no answer to this question," Dvorkovich said, as reported by Russia's official state news agency TASS.

"The whole chess family’s stance is about seeing all available conditions paving the way for this to happen."

The FIDE has not decreed a blanket ban on Russia and Belarus, with individual players able to compete under the governing body’s flag until December 31.

Dvorkovich, who is among the most prominent Russian officials to criticise the Ukrainian invasion, pointed this out to the Russian media outlet during an interview.

"The family of FIDE wishes to see them as our full-fledged members," he remarked.

"However, I would like to reiterate that the chess federation is among the few to permit [individual] games for all chess players [from Russia and Belarus] under the flag of FIDE.

"We have already achieved this and it was an obvious signal that Russian and Belarussian chess players have the right to play [under the flag of FIDE]."

One exception has been Russian player Sergey Karjakin, who was banned for six months on March 21 after he publicly supported his country's attack on Ukraine.

The FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission said that he had violated its Code of Ethics.

The Russian Chess Federation appealed against his suspension to FIDE on April 6, but this was rejected, which resulted in him missing the Candidates Tournament in Madrid.

TASS reported last month that Karjakin is seeking to file a civil case against the FIDE's decision, which contradicted an earlier statement from his manager in June.

Russia's future in chess was a contentious issue during the FIDE election campaign, with Ukrainian political rival Andrii Baryshpolets criticising Dvorkovich's ties to Russian leaders, such as President Vladimir Putin.

Prior to the FIDE General Assembly in Chennai, Dvorkovich claimed he had taken "a strong position on the tragic events in Ukraine", but he did not refer to the conflict as a war or an invasion.

He also referred to how the FIDE has "abandoned" partners from Russia and have formed new ones around the world.

Dvorkovich, who initially came to the helm in 2018, won the election after beating Baryshpolets by 157 votes to 16.

The Kremlin welcomed his victory following the vote.