A delegation of State Duma lawmakers is set to meet members of Congress on Thursday, while a separate, previously unreported group of Russian federal officials plans to visit the U.S. Institute of Peace on Friday, a State Department spokesperson told The Moscow Times.
Alexei Chepa, a lawmaker from the A Just Russia party, had told Russian media this week that a group of “four or five” lawmakers could travel to Washington, D.C. in the coming days, but “several details” regarding the trip still needed to be finalized due to fact that Russian lawmakers are under U.S. sanctions for backing the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that talks between Russian and U.S. lawmakers would take place on Thursday.
Anonymous sources in the State Duma told Russian media that Vyacheslav Nikonov, a member of the ruling United Russia party, is set to lead the group.
The State Department spokesperson said a separate delegation of Russian federal government officials would visit the U.S. Institute of Peace on Friday, a trip that has not been previously reported.
A department note-taker will attend both meetings, the spokesperson added.
It was not immediately clear which Russian officials would take part in the Friday visit.
The U.S. Institute of Peace, a congressionally funded non-profit focused on conflict resolution, was rebranded with U.S. President Donald Trump’s name in December.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering using its Washington headquarters as the base for the Board of Peace, which President Vladimir Putin said Russia could join.
Asked about the planned contacts, the Kremlin said Wednesday that it welcomed “any efforts to revive dialogue with the United States.”
A Just Russia party leader, Sergei Mironov, was less cordial about the decision to send a parliamentary delegation to Washington, D.C., telling reporters on Wednesday: “I’d rather send a missile at them.”
In January, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, said she had received authorization from the State Department for four Russian lawmakers to meet with members of Congress in Washington, D.C. to discuss potential Ukraine peace talks.
That meeting was initially expected to take place in late January.
Luna said last year that Congress was also exploring the possibility of talks with Russian lawmakers on UFOs, though she did not provide details on the possible format, date or location of the talks.
