WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement after a congressional delegation visit to Russia, which included meetings with high-level U.S. government and Russian officials:

"During our meetings in Moscow, we had frank discussions on a number of issues that have caused a drastic decline in bilateral cooperation. At each and every meeting, I made clear Russian interference in U.S. elections will not be tolerated and a thawing of relations can occur only if this and other behavior by the Russian government changes.

“While I’m pleased this same message has been delivered by the administration, it is critical for leaders in Russia to understand the importance of Congress in foreign policy and its authority to protect our national interests alongside the president. We traveled to Moscow to convey that Congress will continue its tough stance toward Russia – including maintaining sanctions – if their behavior remains unchanged.”

Sen. Moran and his colleagues, accompanied by Ambassador Jon Huntsman, had multiple high-level meetings with Russian officials including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, and Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachev, during which they discussed a number of issues such as Syria, China, Ukraine, Crimea, Iran and Russia’s attempts to influence elections in the United States and elsewhere in the world.

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