Deputy Nikonov announced a meeting with US congressmen that exceeded expectations.

The first meeting of the delegation of the State Duma of the Russian Federation with American congressmen in Washington went even better than expected, said State Duma deputy and head of the Russian delegation Vyacheslav Nikonov on March 26 after the negotiations.

"The first meeting with the congressmen was held. So far, everything is better than I expected. Restoration of inter-parliamentary contacts is possible. We are continuing to work on the program," the politician wrote on his Telegram channel.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev also called the negotiations of the Russian parliamentary delegation with members of Congress successful.

"The negotiations were successful. I am satisfied. There will also be a meeting with representatives of the US National Security Council tomorrow. And there will be a discussion with political scientists," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

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As Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, said earlier in the day, the State Duma delegation for the visit to the United States included his first deputies Svetlana Zhurova and Vyacheslav Nikonov, Deputy Speaker Boris Chernyshov and other colleagues. Chernyshov said before the start of the negotiations that parliamentarians from different parties of the State Duma would "deliver our truth" and protect the interests of the Russian Federation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that before the visit to the United States, the Russian parliamentary delegation met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to restore mutual dialogue and received basic instructions from the head of state.

The plane carrying Russian State Duma deputies landed at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on March 25. Former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos said on March 23 that Washington intends to restore relations with Russia for the next 75 years.

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