MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. A delegation of members of the US Congress chose the high-speed train Sapsan for a journey to Moscow from St Petersburg where it came in the first leg of its six-day trip to Russia on June 30.

On Monday night, the high-rank US visitors arrived at Moscow’s Leningradsky railway terminal after slightly more than hours spent aboard the train.

Prior to leaving St Petersburg the delegation held a meeting with the city’s Governor, Georgy Poltavchenko. At the beginning of the meeting, senator Richard Shelby from Alabama spoke about a necessity for improvement of relations between Russia and the US.

He expressed the hope the Russian-American summit, due in Helsinki on July 16, would facilitate the rectification of relationship, which has been steadily declining in recent years.

The Congressional delegation includes senator Richard Shelby [Alabama], senator John Kenned [Louisiana], senator John Hoeven [North Dakota], senator John Thune [South Dakota], senator Jerry Moran [Kansas], senator Steve Daines [Montana], and representative Kay Granger [Texas].

During the stay in Moscow that will last through to July 5, they will have meetings with members the Federation Council upper house of parliament and the State Duma, as well with officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Before leaving St Petersburg, the delegation visited the State Hermitage Museum where they were received by the museum’s Director General, Dr. Mikhail Piotrovsky. He told them about the current and forthcoming exhibition projects and the development of the Hermitage Museum satellite centers abroad.

"In the Hall of the State Council [of the Winter Palace] Mikhail Piotrovsky met with a delegation of US Congress members led by Senator Richard Shelby from Alabama," the press service of the Hermitage Museum said. "Dr. Piotrovsky familiarized the guests with the museum and the buildings it occupies, the Grand Hermitage Museum concept.

He stressed the particular role the Hermitage Museum was playing as a universal and encyclopedic museum center, adding that "this encyclopedia was written in the Russian language and it tells the story of Russia’s statehood.".