Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) agreed to extended diplomatic talks with members of the Russian Federation during a meeting on Monday, saying, “Engagement is vital to our national security and peace around the world.”
During the hour-long meeting, Sen. Paul agreed with Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, to send members of the Russian Federation to D.C., which will serve as the first trip from members of the federation in nearly three years. The Council Committee is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, of which Sen. Paul is a member.
Sen. Paul said:
Engagement is vital to our national security and peace around the world. Today, I met with Chairman Kosachev, and we agreed on the importance of continued dialogue. I invited the Russian Federation to send a delegation to the Capitol, and they have agreed to take this important next step.
Sen. Paul met with several Russian senators during his trip to Russia on Monday, as well as Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s former envoy to Washington.
Kosachev said that the meeting could happen as early as this fall.
The Kentucky senator’s meeting arises just weeks after Republican legislators traveled to Moscow for meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as members of the Russian parliament.
America and Russian initiated diplomatic talks their diplomatic talks since President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, in July.
Sen. Paul defended Trump’s meeting with Putin amid backlash from Democrats, establishment Republicans, and the mainstream media.
Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview in July that America the world “will be better” off as a result of the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki.
Massie then suggested that as long as there is a cold war between Russia and the United States, the D.C. swamp will continue to make money.
Rep. Massie said:
This may be why the only type of diplomacy that the establishment understands, whether it’s the GOP establishment, and pretty much all of the liberals at this point, is either a full-on war or a cold war or sanctions, they completely underestimate the value of just talking to your would-be adversaries, but that doesn’t make anyone money in Washington, DC.
“Ultimately, not just America, but the world will be better off because of the dialogue that Trump has initiated that other presidents were too afraid to initiate,” Rep. Massie said.