A delegation of US lawmakers has met top Russian officials and lawmakers to discuss ushering in a “new day” in relations ahead of a key summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin later this month.
US Senator Richard Shelby spoke first for the eight-person delegation, including seven senators and a congresswoman, during meetings on Tuesday at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russia’s Federation Council and the Duma.
It was the first time US lawmakers had visited Moscow as a delegation since 2013, before the annexation of Crimea, Russia’s intervention in Syria’s civil war – and meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections.
“The Helsinki meeting will become the beginning of some better understanding” between the two countries, Shelby said in conversation with Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, a former aide to Putin. “Perhaps not a utopia … but perhaps a better day.”
The Kremlin on Tuesday said it is possible that Putin and Trump will hold one-on-one talks, presumably with only translators present, if a “preliminary understanding is confirmed”.
“You know that President Putin…
