On their first visit to the USA in more than ten years, Russian MPs drew positive conclusions. They received them as a gift from fans of the US President Donald Trump popular socks with an image of the Republican. The meeting at the invitation of congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna was a step forward, although not yet a full-fledged resumption of contacts, said Duma deputy from the Kremlin party United Russia, Vyacheslav Nikonov.
The Russian MPs had therefore received exemptions for the trip despite the sanctions in force due to the war of aggression against Ukraine. Trump’s government gave the green light for this dialogue, although the trip was officially private in nature, the Moscow newspaper Kommersant reported. There was talk of a “historic visit” in the Kremlin.
“As representatives of the two largest nuclear powers in the world, we owe our citizens open dialogue, new ideas and open communication,” wrote Republican Luna on X. The politician from Florida is known as a Trump supporter and critic of US aid to Ukraine. “We will continue to promote this dialogue and work for peace to support this administration’s efforts for peace as well as economic opportunity,” she said.
Newspaper: Exchange of gifts shows rapprochement
Nikonov said that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine were discussed. Other topics included the resumption of air traffic, economic relations as a whole and the possible future abolition of sanctions. The Russians are now hoping for a return visit from US representatives in May.
According to Russian information, this was the first major visit by a State Duma delegation since 2014. “And the exchange of gifts – from commemorative coins to socks with the image of the 47th US president – showed that a cautious but noticeable rapprochement in the spirit of the summit in Anchorage is emerging in relations between the parliamentarians of both countries,” Kommersant wrote.
Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage in August and reiterated the goal of bringing their countries closer together. Trump is committed to ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been going on for a good four years – but so far without resounding success.
+++ Editorial note: This report was created based on material from the German Press Agency (dpa). If you have any comments or questions, please contact notice@news.de. +++
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