Dmitriev meets U.S. officials amid growing Russia-Ukraine tensions
Kirill Dmitriev, the special envoy for investments to Russian President Vladimir Putin, met with U.S. officials in Washington on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The visit comes in the context of the Trump administration pushing for a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
Dmitriev, a former Goldman Sachs banker educated at Stanford and regarded as one of the Russian elite most familiar with the U.S., is the highest-ranking Russian official to visit the U.S. since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The details of the discussions remain undisclosed, but the visit comes soon after President Donald Trump expressed frustration with the slow pace of ceasefire negotiations, hinting at possible sanctions on those buying Russian oil. Russia is the world’s second-largest oil exporter, following Saudi Arabia.
Sources say Dmitriev was invited by Steve Witkoff, a close associate of Trump who oversees U.S. contacts with the Kremlin. The White House issued a special license permitting Dmitriev, who is under U.S. sanctions, to enter the U.S. temporarily.
Dmitriev previously played a key role in establishing early contacts with Trump’s team after the 2016 elections, as well as in the rapprochement between Russia and Saudi Arabia, which resulted in the OPEC+ oil production agreement.
It’s important to note that peace negotiations for Ukraine and a possible ceasefire in the Black Sea began on March 23 in Riyadh, with the first round of talks between the U.S. delegation and Ukrainian representatives. The following day, March 24, intense negotiations took place between the U.S. and Russian delegations, lasting throughout the day and ending around 10:00 PM Moldova time. On Tuesday, March 25, the Ukrainian delegation met again with U.S. officials.
Initially, the Kremlin refused to disclose details of its discussions with the U.S. side, but later clarified that Russia’s acceptance of a ceasefire is conditioned on the lifting of additional economic sanctions.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
