Russian Lawmakers and US Congress Members Meet

(Patria) - The first meeting between Russian lawmakers and members of the US Congress has concluded, Vyacheslav Nikonov, First Deputy Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament), said yesterday, TASS reported.

"We held the first meeting with members of Congress. So far, it is going better than I expected. It is possible to resume inter-parliamentary contact. We are continuing with our program," Nikonov wrote on Telegram.

Efforts to arrange a meeting between members of the Russian State Duma and the US Congress began in October 2025 following consultations between Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's Special Presidential Envoy for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, and US Congresswoman Anna Pauline Luna.

Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, had previously told TASS that the five-member delegation included his first deputies Vyacheslav Nikonov and Svetlana Zhurovova, as well as Deputy Speaker of the Duma Boris Chernyshov.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the Russian parliamentarians received instructions from the President of Russia before leaving for the United States.