A Russian parliamentary delegation and US members of Congress have exchanged symbolic gifts during talks in Washington, including socks bearing the image of President Donald Trump and a postcard signed by cosmonauts and astronauts from the Soviet-American Soyuz-Apollo space programme.

Russian lawmakers have been in Washington this week for rare talks with US members of Congress and officials, in the first such visit for years. The delegation is being led by State Duma figures, including Vyacheslav Nikonov, with other names mentioned, including Leonid Slutsky, Boris Chernyshov, Alexey Chepa, Svetlana Zhurova, and Vladimir Isakov.

Mikhail Delyagin, deputy chairman of the State Duma's economic policy committee and a member of the Russian delegation, told TASS on March 27 that the Americans had initially asked both sides to forgo gifts, but changed their position on arrival.

"But when we arrived, the concept changed — they gave us socks with Trump and a personal coin from Congresswoman [Anna Paulina] Luna — they have such a form of expressing goodwill," Delyagin said.

The Russian delegation responded with gifts from the embassy, while Deputy Speaker Boris Chernyshov presented a postcard signed by participants of the Soyuz-Apollo flight, which Delyagin said was met with enthusiasm by the American side.

"From us there were modest gifts, as etiquette requires, plus Vice Speaker Boris Chernyshov gave a postcard signed by the Soyuz-Apollo flight participants, which caused delight among the Americans," he said.

The low-key trip is notable because several of the lawmakers are under US sanctions tied to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with the visit requiring sanction-related permissions or waivers.

The visit to the United States was prepared behind closed doors to avoid provocations from forces "seeking to lure the United States into expanding support for Ukraine," according to Delyagin. He added, “as far as one can judge,” preparations began back in December.

The exchange offers a rare glimpse of informal diplomacy between Moscow and Washington at a time when the two countries remain at odds over Russia's war in Ukraine and its support for Iran.

Russian officials have framed the contacts as a way to revive dialogue with Washington, which has been frosty even during the second Trump administration. 

The Russian trip comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, arrived in Saudi Arabia on March 26 for talks on regional security cooperation, offering Kyiv’s battlefield-honed drone defence expertise in exchange for military support, as the war in Iran reshapes the strategic landscape of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

As part of the trip, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia signed a defence cooperation agreement between their respective ministries of defence, with Zelenskiy describing the deal as laying the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation and investment.