U.S. Senator Invites Russian Lawmakers to Washington for Talks

Source: Bloomberg

U.S. Senator Rand Paul said he invited Russian lawmakers to Washington, after talks in Moscow that his hosts called a signal to President Donald Trump of a desire to build ties.

Paul told reporters Monday that he issued the invitation at a meeting with members of the international relations committee of Russia’s upper house of parliament, including the chairman, Konstantin Kosachyov, and Sergey Kislyak, the former Russian ambassador to the U.S.

The Republican lawmaker, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “has access” to Trump and top U.S. officials “and we expect that we will be able to convey through him our signals” of a desire to establish dialogue, Kosachyov said, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news service. The visit to Washington may take place before the end of the year, he said.

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation last week to impose “crushing sanctions” on Russia for interfering in U.S. elections, amid warnings that November’s midterm elections may be targeted. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign, after the U.S. intelligence community concluded that President Vladimir Putin ordered efforts to undermine Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and aid Trump. The Senate is also probing the alleged meddling.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-06/u-s-senator-invites-russian-lawmakers-to-washington-for-talks