Putin envoy signals Russia-US lawmakers meeting ‘soon’

Dialogue between the State Duma and US Congress is “vital for the world,” Kirill Dmitriev says

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has announced an upcoming meeting between Russian and US lawmakers, saying direct dialogue between the State Duma and US Congress is “vital” for global stability.

Parliamentary ties were effectively frozen after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, when Washington sanctioned most Duma (the lower house of parliament) and Federation Council (upper house) members, suspending formal contact and high-level visits.

Since US President Donald Trump’s return to power in early 2025, there has been a push to revive legislative diplomacy, though no direct meetings have yet taken place.

Dmitriev, who also heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund and is involved in Ukraine peace efforts, said on X that a meeting is expected soon, without elaborating.

Soon, Russia-US parliamentary dialogue is vital for the world. https://t.co/hOwDXHzcv3

— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) March 25, 2026

“Soon, Russia-US parliamentary dialogue is vital for the world,” he wrote on Wednesday, responding to US Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who said in January she had secured approval for four Russian lawmakers to visit Washington. Her office said the focus would be on “peaceful dialogue and constructive interaction” aimed at de-escalation.

Dmitriev met with Luna during visits to the US in late 2025. She has long called for congressional ties with the Duma to be reopened, arguing that “pragmatic engagement” is better than silence, and was praised by Dmitriev as “an outspoken advocate for peaceful solutions.”

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On Wednesday, the Russian parliamentary delegation landed in New York, First Deputy Chairman of the International Affairs Committee Aleksey Chepa told Izvestia. The group is led by United Russia lawmaker Vyacheslav Nikonov, deputy chairman of the committee, he added.

At a briefing earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not provide any new details on the upcoming meeting, but said Moscow “welcomes any form of revived dialogue with the US.”

“We believe this would be consistent with and serve the interests of both the Russian Federation and the US,” he said. “We have repeatedly proposed this to the US. Therefore, if such contacts between parliamentarians of the two countries take place, they can only be welcomed; they are truly necessary.”

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Trilateral Russia-US-Ukraine talks on a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict remain paused due to the Iran war. Peskov earlier described this as “situational pause for obvious reasons,” and said they will resume once schedules are aligned, particularly with the American mediators.