A bipartisan pair of high-ranking US senators has demanded an explanation from the Trump administration regarding a recent visit to Washington, DC by a delegation of sanctioned Russian officials, Fox News reported.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday, April 3, questioning why the Russian lawmakers were granted access to the US Capitol and meetings with administration officials.
According to Fox News, the Russian delegation included State Duma Deputy Speaker Boris Chernyshov and lawmakers Vyacheslav Nikonov and Svetlana Zhurova, all of whom are currently under US sanctions for conduct deemed harmful to national security.
“The delegation came onto U.S. soil for one purpose: to advance the Kremlin’s strategic aims – including gathering additional useful intelligence,” the lawmakers wrote. They further alleged that members of the Duma are now “helping Iran target U.S. military and diplomatic personnel across the Middle East.”
The trip, which began on March 26, was reportedly organized by Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and included meetings with several other Republican and Democratic representatives. Luna defended the visit on X, stating that as nuclear superpowers, the US and Russia owe their citizens “open dialogue” and “open lines of communication.”
The Kremlin confirmed the visit, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov telling AFP that the “tentative steps” were intended to revive bilateral engagement. Peskov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had given specific, undisclosed instructions to the lawmakers ahead of the trip.
However, Wicker and Shaheen argued the participants were far from innocent, citing Nikonov’s previous television appearances where he referred to the US and NATO as the “Fourth Reich.” They also noted that Mikhail Delyagin, another reported member of the delegation, has openly advocated for the destruction of Ukraine’s energy sector.
The senators have requested a complete manifest of the Russian travelers and a detailed report on any counterintelligence assessments conducted prior to the visit.
The controversy unfolds as US-led peace talks remain stalled. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently warned that Washington has pressured Kyiv to withdraw from the entirety of the Donbas region – comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – as a condition for US security guarantees. Zelensky noted that the US might withdraw from the talks if negotiations stall.
Simultaneously, Western intelligence reports indicate that Moscow is providing Iran with drones and targeting data to assist in its conflict with US and Israeli forces. Earlier reports suggested the Kremlin had offered to halt intelligence-sharing with Tehran only if Washington did the same with Kyiv.