Russian, US lawmakers meet in Washington
March 28, 2026 00:00:00
A delegation of State Duma lawmakers met with members of Congress in Washington on Thursday. — AP
WASHINGTON, Mar 27 (AFP): Russian lawmakers held talks Thursday with members of the US Congress, a Florida representative and the State Department said-the first such meeting in several years and one that was welcomed by the Kremlin.
Five members of the Russian Duma met with a bipartisan group of five US lawmakers "to discuss peace and bilateral relations," Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, an ally of President Donald Trump, said on X.
"As representatives of the world's two greatest nuclear super powers, we owe our citizens open dialogue, ideas, and open lines of communication," she added.
"We will continue to foster this dialogue and push for peace in support of this admin's push for peace."
Luna's post included photographs of the Russian delegation alongside her and other colleagues as they met in Washington at the headquarters of the United States Institute of Peace, a building recently renamed for Trump.
In another post on the same platform, Russia's economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the meeting "historic."
The trip comes with US-brokered talks seeking a deal to end the war in Ukraine effectively frozen.
Several rounds of negotiations since Trump returned to the White House 14 months ago have failed to break the deadlock, with the Kremlin ruling out compromises to halt its four-year offensive.
A State Department spokesman also confirmed the visit between members of Congress and the Duma.