I recently added this post, With Good Intent and Friendly Desire. It is a contemporary English translation of Ivan’s reply to King Edward VI of England, in which the Russian ruler welcomed trade with the English, a landmark moment in the history of both nations.
In 1553, King Edward VI sent a letter to Ivan IV, ruler of Moscow, asking him to grant free trade privileges throughout his kingdom to a Company of merchants led by Sir Richard Chancellor. There had been almost no contact between these two great European capitals before, and the task was made no easier by the jealousies of the merchant cities of the Baltic, which were determined to keep London and Moscow apart.
Sir Richard outwitted them all. He took his merchants in a completely unexpected direction, sailing up around Sweden and down the White Sea to Archangel, then sledded to Moscow and met with Ivan. The English remained there throughout the winter, and returned home in March 1554, carrying a letter from Ivan agreeing enthusiastically to Edward’s proposal.