Updated March 28, 2017 11:22:58

Photo: Jared Kushner is already a senior adviser to his father-in-law Donald Trump. (AP: Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

A Russian bank under US economic sanctions over Moscow's incursion into Ukraine has disclosed that its executives met with Jared Kushner — US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a top White House adviser — during the 2016 election campaign.

A US Senate committee is currently investigating suspected Russian interference in the election and wants to interview Trump associates, including Mr Kushner, 36, who is married to Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka and has agreed to testify.

Mr Kushner previously acknowledged meeting the Russian ambassador to Washington last December, but only on Monday did it emerge that executives of Russian state development bank Vnesheconombank (VEB) had talks with Mr Kushner during a bank roadshow last year.

"As part of the preparation of the new strategy, executives of Vnesheconombank met with representatives of leading financial institutes in Europe, Asia and America multiple times during 2016," VEB said in an emailed statement.

It said roadshow meetings took place "with a number of representatives of the largest banks and business establishments of the United States, including Jared Kushner, the head of Kushner Companies".

VEB declined to say where the meetings took place or the dates, and there was no immediate comment from Mr Kushner.

The real estate executive turned political adviser

Allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russian actors were behind hacking of senior Democratic Party operatives and spreading disinformation linger over Mr Trump's young presidency.

Democrats charge the Russians wanted to tilt the election toward the Republican, a claim dismissed by Mr Trump — Russia denies the allegations.

But there has been no doubt that the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, developed contacts among the Trump team.

Mr Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign on February 13 after revelations that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with Mr Kislyak and misled Vice-President Mike Pence about the conversations.

US officials said that after meeting with Russian Kislyak at Trump Tower last December — a meeting also attended by Mr Flynn — Mr Kushner met later in December with Sergei Gorkov, the chairman of Vnesheconombank.

White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks confirmed the meetings, saying nothing of consequence was discussed.

What is the significance of the Gorkov meeting?

Mr Gorkov was appointed head of VEB in early 2016 by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He graduated from the Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia's internal security agency, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit for Services to the Fatherland, according to the bank's website.

According to two congressional staffers, some Senate investigators want to question Mr Kushner and Mr Flynn about whether they discussed with Mr Gorkov or other Russian officials the possibility of investing in 666 Fifth Avenue in New York or other Kushner Co or Trump properties should the new administration lift the sanctions.

Simply meeting with representatives of a US-sanctioned entity is not a violation of sanctions or against the law.

VEB, aside from being under sanctions, has been grappling with bad debt after financing politically expedient projects such as construction for the Sochi Winter Olympics.

It received 150 billion roubles ($3.5 billion) in support from the Russian budget in 2016, when its senior management was sacked and replaced by a team of executives from Russia's biggest lender Sberbank.

In an article posted on December 18, Forbes estimated that Jared Kushner, his brother Josh and his parents, Charles and Seryl, have a fortune worth at least $US1.8 billion ($2.36 billion), more than half of which Forbes estimates is held in real estate.

Forbes did not provide a specific estimate for Jared Kushner's net worth on his own.

Kushner volunteers to testify to committee: White House

On Monday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters Mr Kushner was willing to testify to the Senate Intelligence Committee chaired by US Senator Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican.

"Throughout the campaign and the transition, Jared served as the official primary point of contact with foreign governments and officials," Mr Spicer told reporters at his daily briefing.

"And so, given this role, he volunteered to speak with Chairman Burr's committee, but has not received any confirmation regarding a time for a meeting."

Photo: During the campaign, Jared Kushner served as the primary point of contact with foreign officials for Donald Trump. (Reuters: Mike Segar, file)

The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate panel also said Mr Kushner had agreed to be interviewed.

Evgeny Buryakov, 41, a Russian citizen who worked at Vnesheconombank and whom US authorities accused of posing as a banker while participating in a New York spy ring, pleaded guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge on Friday.

Buryakov admitted in federal court in Manhattan to acting as an agent for the Russian government without notifying US authorities.

He was prosecuted by the office of the US attorney in Manhattan under Preet Bharara, who was among several chief prosecutors fired or asked to resign earlier this month by the new administration.

wires/ABC

Topics: donald-trump, world-politics, united-states, russian-federation

First posted March 28, 2017 11:18:26