|
The
Republican senator is due to lead a U.S. delegation and to meet
members of the Russian parliament, Russian news agencies cited a
senior lawmaker as saying earlier. Interfax news agency
initially reported the scheduled meeting between Ryabkov and the
senator.
Paul was one of U.S. President Donald Trump's strongest
supporters in Washington last month after he was criticized for
failing to denounce Russia for meddling in the 2016 U.S.
election during a summit and news conference with Russian
President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.
"Senator Rand Paul is a proponent of diplomacy and is supporting
President Donald J. Trump in engaging around the world. He looks
forward to his meetings," Paul's office said in a statement on
Thursday. No further information was available about the trip,
including who else might be in the delegation.
Paul published an opinion column in Politico on July 16, the day
of the Helsinki summit, arguing that fellow Republican Trump was
right to meet with Putin. He also said then that he would be
traveling to Russia seeking "to discuss common ground with their
leaders and help prevent further, unnecessary escalation of
tensions."
Next week's visit would be the second U.S. Republican
congressional trip to Moscow within several weeks. A delegation
of senators and House members traveled there in early July.
Generally a non-interventionist on foreign policy matters, Paul
has said repeatedly that he believes it is a good idea for the
United States to speak to its adversaries rather than rush
toward conflict.
Like Trump, he has expressed skepticism about U.S. intelligence
agencies, which concluded that Russia sought to interfere in the
election two years ago to boost Trump's chances of defeating the
Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.
(Reporting by Maxim Rodionov, Richard Balmforth in Moscow;
additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Doina Chiacu in
Washington; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Grant McCool)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
