A group of Russian lawmakers is visiting the US on Thursday in a bid to revive ties with Washington, the Kremlin said.
“We hope that these first tentative steps will, of course, make their contribution to the further revival of our bilateral engagement,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told AFP.
Peskov added that Russian President Vladimir Putin has given instructions to the lawmakers ahead of the visit, according to Russian state media TASS. He did not elaborate on those instructions.
The announcement comes the day after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Washington has pressured Kyiv to withdraw from the entirety of Ukraine’s Donbas – comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – which Moscow has not been able to fully conquer in 12 years of war. US security guarantees would be contingent on those territorial concessions.
Zelensky noted that the US might withdraw from the talks if negotiations stall.
AFP, citing unnamed Russian media, said the Russian delegation is set to meet with unspecified US lawmakers this week.
The delegation consists of the Russian State Duma Deputy Speaker Boris Chernyshov and lawmakers Vyacheslav Nikonov and Svetlana Zhurova, according to AFP.
All three Russians are under Western sanctions, including US sanctions under the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions, according to sanctions portal Open Sanctions.
Leonid Slutsky, a pro-war lawmaker and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, said his US visa has been denied, according to TASS.
The visit comes amid stalled US-led peace talks and reports that Russia might be arming Iran with drones after US and Israeli strikes, thereby increasing the chances of a potential quagmire in Iran.
Western intelligence officials also asserted that Moscow is arming Tehran with drones amid the ongoing conflict with US and Israeli forces, following earlier reports that the Kremlin offered to halt intelligence-sharing with Iran if Washington did the same with Kyiv.
However, the key subjects to be addressed by the Russian lawmakers in their US visit remain unclear.