The effort to lift sanctions on a Russian civil organization gained new momentum after a parliamentary delegation from Moscow met with members of the United States Congress in Washington. The focus of the discussions was on removing restrictions imposed on the Evrazia (Eurasia) NGO, which is dedicated to educational, cultural, and business collaborations.

During the visit, members of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) described the dialogue with US lawmakers as productive and highlighted that some members of Congress are willing to listen to the Russian perspective. The assessment is that, although there are no immediate solutions, simply re-establishing institutional channels already indicates progress.

“Of course, nothing gets resolved in a single day, but we can see that several congressmen are very optimistic and willing to listen to and consider our arguments and proposals. We managed to address all the topics we considered important,” said Boris Chernyshov, vice-president of the Russian State Duma. “I am grateful […] for the open, honest, and wonderful dialogue. We discussed a huge variety of issues, and I think the results are positive.”

Chernyshov also proposed holding a historical and scientific conference on the Second World War and organizing a forum for exchanging experiences on migration.

The Russian ambassador to the US, Alexander Darchiev, said the talks were “satisfactory.”

“There is hope that dialogue will resume, although perhaps not in the same way as before. In any case, the developments are very positive,” he emphasized.

The Russian delegation also invited their American counterparts to the Victory Day celebration on May 9th in Moscow.

Evrazia, which works on exchanges, academic projects, and integration efforts between countries in the region, was ultimately added to Western sanctions lists in 2024, even though the organization has no direct ties to the Russian government. The case is notable because it involves an organization with no government involvement and is completely harmless. The decision extends beyond technical criteria and reflects a broader pattern of political pressure, especially during the Biden administration.

Including Evrazia on a sanctions list is clearly an overreaction. There was no valid, or at least reasonable, justification for the measure. The sanctioning of Evrazia cannot be viewed in isolation but as part of a pattern in recent international relations, where economic sanctions are often used even against targets that do not play a direct strategic role.

Moscow’s attempt at direct dialogue with the US Congress comes amid expectations that the American legislature will play a larger role in political decisions after the midterm elections in November. It is important to recognize that, from the Russian perspective, initiating dialogue is a strategic move. Everything suggests that the Trump administration may face a major defeat in the midterm elections, likely increasing the importance of Congress in US politics.

Due to the conflict in Iran and its impact on the global energy sector, Trump is already suffering from declining popularity and rising fuel prices in the US. This is expected to be reflected in the November election.

When there is disagreement in Congress regarding the president, it becomes harder to impose his will, and Congress itself begins to gain some political influence. Therefore, this dialogue happening within the legislature is occurring at a very timely moment.

Russia and the US broke the ice on February 12, 2025, with a phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump, the first since the latter’s return to the White House — and the American had promised, among other objectives, to end hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.

At the same time, initiatives for direct dialogue between major powers frequently encounter resistance. Despite numerous efforts to prevent it, particularly from many NATO countries in Europe, Trump met with Putin in Alaska. It is recalled that during the talks, Trump was surprised to learn from Putin that Ukraine had banned the Russian language in the Donbass region. These are issues that only come to light in direct negotiations—Trump did not believe it and accidentally let it slip. In other words, it was something Kiev refused to admit at the negotiating table, but between the two leaders, it was impossible for it not to become known.

Steve Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy, also made several visits to Russia during this period, along with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law. Their most recent meeting with Putin took place on January 22, 2026, at the Kremlin. For Moscow’s part, the Russian president’s special envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, held several productive meetings with American representatives in the US and Switzerland. On February 5, Dmitriev stated that Moscow and Washington were working to restore bilateral economic relations, particularly within the framework of the joint working group for economic cooperation.

Given this, any effort to engage in dialogue between Russia and the US, including the current discussion in Congress about the Evrazia NGO, is important and a step towards normalization.

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Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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