US Senator Rand Paul has said he delivered a letter from US President Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin’s administration. Moscow says that it will consider it in the near future.
“I was honored to deliver a letter from President Trump to President Vladimir Putin’s administration,” the senator from Kentucky wrote on Twitter.
Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's press secretary, confirmed that a missive had been received "through diplomatic channels," and will soon be delivered to the president's administration.
According to Paul, the letter “emphasized the importance of further engagement” between Washington and Moscow “in various areas including countering terrorism, enhancing legislative dialogue and resuming cultural exchanges.”
Paul has been an outspoken proponent of engagement with Moscow, who has repeatedly voiced support for Trump’s decision to meet with Putin in Helsinki last July. He recently visited Moscow as part of a Republican delegation. The politician explained that part of the purpose of this trip was to promote greater dialogue between Moscow and Washington.
READ MORE: Rand Paul says ‘big mistake’ not to have dialogue with Moscow, invites Russian MPs to DC
“The world is a complicated place, we are in close proximity to Russia in Syria and other places, and I think it would be a very big mistake not to have open lines of communication,” Paul said on Monday. He also invited a delegation of Russian lawmakers to Washington DC.
Ahead of his visit to Moscow, Paul stressed that his goal in coming to Moscow was to find “common ground with [Russian] leaders and help prevent further, unnecessary escalation of tensions.”
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