Rep Anna Paulina Luna
US Republican congresswoman (R-FL) who invited sanctioned Russian Duma MPs to Congress.
Last refreshed: 1 April 2026
By inviting sanctioned Russian MPs to Congress, what exactly was Luna trying to achieve?
Latest on Rep Anna Paulina Luna
- Who is Anna Paulina Luna?
- Anna Paulina Luna is a Republican US congresswoman representing Florida's 13th district, first elected in 2022. She is associated with the America First wing of the Republican Party and has been sceptical of US Ukraine support.Source:
- Why did Anna Paulina Luna invite Russian MPs to Congress?
- Luna invited the sanctioned Duma delegation to Congress on 26 March 2026 as part of direct engagement with Russia. The visit, authorised by the State Department, reflected a strand of Republican thinking favouring dialogue with Moscow over continued Ukraine support.Source: Congressional records / US media
- Was it legal for Anna Paulina Luna to invite sanctioned Russian MPs?
- The visit was authorised by the US State Department, making it legally permissible under US law. The delegation's sanctions are EU-imposed, not US-imposed — the US did not at that time have all the same delegates on its own sanctions lists.Source: US State Department
- What did the EU say about Russian MPs visiting US Congress?
- EU partners criticised the visit, noting that hosting sanctioned individuals contradicts the shared Western sanctions framework against Russia and potentially undermines the deterrent value of European measures.Source:
- Is Anna Paulina Luna against Ukraine aid?
- Luna has been a vocal sceptic of US financial support for Ukraine. Her invitation of sanctioned Russian Duma members to Congress in March 2026 was consistent with her broader Foreign Policy stance.
Background
Rep Anna Paulina Luna is a Republican congresswoman representing Florida's 13th congressional district. On 26 March 2026, Luna invited a Russian State Duma delegation led by the sanctioned Foreign Affairs Committee chair Vyacheslav Nikonov to visit the US Congress — a visit authorised by the US State Department. All members of the delegation were under EU sanctions at the time, making it the first official Russian parliamentary contact with Congress since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Luna was first elected to Congress in 2022 and is associated with the America First wing of the Republican Party. She has been a vocal sceptic of US support for Ukraine and has used procedural votes to challenge Republican leadership, including filing a motion to vacate against former Speaker McCarthy. Her invitation to the Duma delegation reflected a strand of Republican thinking that favours direct engagement with Russia over continued proxy support for Ukraine.
The visit generated significant diplomatic friction with EU partners, who noted that hosting sanctioned individuals contradicts the shared sanctions framework. The episode illustrated the growing gap between parts of the US Congress and European allies on how to engage Russia — and raised questions about whether the State Department's authorisation reflected a deliberate executive-branch policy of maintaining Russian diplomatic channels outside EU coordination.