A delegation of five lawmakers from Russia has visited the United States in a rare move to restore parliamentary contacts between the two countries, marking the first such trip since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The visit was confirmed by Vyacheslav Nikonov, Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the State Duma, who spoke to Russia’s state news agency TASS in Washington.
Nikonov said meetings with U.S. administration officials were scheduled for Friday and focused on efforts to rebuild dialogue channels between lawmakers of both countries.
The delegation’s U.S. host is Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican congresswoman and ally of Donald Trump, who has been critical of continued American military support for Ukraine.
According to Nikonov, discussions included plans to establish a joint parliamentary working group and the possibility of a reciprocal visit by U.S. lawmakers to Moscow in May.
To facilitate the trip, U.S. sanctions imposed on the senior member of the ruling United Russia party were temporarily lifted.
Political contacts between Western governments and Russia have remained sharply limited since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, as many countries aligned with Kyiv and imposed sanctions on Moscow.
Trump has recently pushed to reopen communication channels with Russia, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the lawmakers’ visit as an important step toward normalising strained relations.
In Russia’s political system, the State Duma and the Federation Council play relatively limited roles compared with the executive branch, though they remain key institutions in parliamentary diplomacy.