Artemyev claims the two governing bodies "understand each other" and insists that the FRR is doing "everything necessary" to sign the deal.

His comments quoted in Russia's official state news agency TASS came at a meeting of the FRR's Supreme Council.

Russia was suspended from international competition by World Rugby in March in response to the war in Ukraine.

The FRR launched an attempt to lift the suspension in May only for World Rugby to refuse to listen to the appeal.

According to TASS, the FRR does not expect the Russian men’s team to participate at the Rugby World Cup again until the 2031 edition scheduled to be held in the United States.

TASS reports that the plan to compete in the event in nine years’ time was presented at the FRR Supreme Council meeting.

Artemyev also revealed that the FRR was hoping to strike a deal with the SA Rugby.

"We will do everything necessary to sign a large-scale agreement on cooperation with South Africa," said Artemyev.

"They suit us, we understand each other, we understand the mentality."

insidethegames has contacted SA Rugby for comment.

Efforts by the RFF to seal a deal with SA Rugby follow the Russian Olympic Committee's announcement last month that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) was one of three National Olympic Committees it was hoping to secure a "memorandum of cooperation" with.

SASCOC denied any agreement had been reached, with President Barry Hendricks insisting his organisation was "bound by the IOC’s position on Russia".

Russia and South Africa are both members of BRICS, a political alliance that also includes Brazil, India and China.

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin has previously claimed that his country is developing new sports competitions with BRICS partners as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan that are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.