Russian ambassador: Russian, US lawmakers' meeting in Washington productive

The latest talks between representatives of the Russian and US lawmakers were productive and successful, Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev told RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday.

A delegation from the Russian State Duma met with US lawmakers in Washington on Thursday, in what several US media outlets described as the first visit by a Russian parliamentary delegation to the United States since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis in 2022.

"The talks were successful," Darchiev said.

The meeting showed that there is hope for restoring dialogue between the Russian and US legislative bodies, he said, adding that the talks will continue on Friday.

Boris Chernyshov, deputy speaker of the State Duma, said that the two sides discussed "a huge number of issues" and the most important thing is that "the dialogue has begun."

"Dialogue is the foundation of trust. We will move forward," he said, adding that the issue of a visit by US representatives to Moscow in May was raised during the talks.

Svetlana Zhurova, first deputy chairwoman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said the talks covered Russian athletes' participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and friendly hockey matches with US teams.

She also noted that US Congress members support dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv to find common ground in resolving the Ukraine crisis.