Rand Paul invites Russian officials to visit US to improve relations [View all]

[TexasTowelie]

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul invited a delegation from the Russian parliament's upper house to meet with members of Congress in Washington "to continue dialogue on vital issues such as nuclear non-proliferation and combating terrorism," according to the senator's office.

Paul's trip has included meetings with several Russian officials, including Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Russian equivalent of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who agreed to send members from the Russian Federation to Washington. They discussed non-proliferation of certain missiles and sanctions, according to Russian state media.

Paul also met with Leonid Slutsky, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Russia's lower house of parliament. Russian state media reported that Slutsky asked Paul to help resolve the arrest of Russian national Maria Butina, a suspected covert agent.

Paul held his meetings just days after a group of U.S. senators proposed new sanctions on Russia following reports of ongoing efforts to interfere with the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. After both Democratic and Republican lawmakers criticized Trump's handling of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Paul stood by Trump's efforts to open up a dialogue with the between Washington and Moscow.

Read more: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2018/08/06/rand-paul-invites-russian-parliament-leaders-washington/913838002/