In the wake of the Trump-Putin summit, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has announced in a Politico op-ed that he will be making his own trip to Russia in order to further improve its relations with the United States.
“In just a few weeks, I will take my own trip to Russia in an attempt to discuss common ground with their leaders and help prevent further, unnecessary escalation of tensions,” he wrote. “We will discuss trade, cultural exchanges and how to better work for peace and prosperity in the world.”
The trip will not be in isolation, however. Paul has made his clear his intention to coordinate closely with President Donald Trump and members of his administration in the next few weeks to form a unified diplomatic strategy, presumably to avoid violating the Logan Act, which prohibits unauthorized persons from negotiating disputes on behalf of the United States.
“I look forward to consulting with Trump between his visit and mine and to working with diplomats from both countries to have a successful trip and better relationships,” Paul added. “Millions of lives could be at stake.”
The close relationship between Trump and Paul was demonstrated on Tuesday when Trump publicly thanked Paul on Twitter for his strong support of the President’s actions at the summit on cable news. This comes at a time when the Republican establishment has panned the summit, undermining our President at a critical juncture.
