WASHINGTON:Russia’s leading economic negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, confirmed on Thursday that he was in Washington for discussions aimed at improving relations between the two countries. This marks the highest-level visit by a Kremlin official to the U.S. since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, shared that he was having meetings with members of President Donald Trump’s administration but did not provide further details. U.S. media reports indicated that Dmitriev arrived on Wednesday and was expected to meet with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House, though specifics of his schedule were not disclosed.
The visit comes at a time when Trump has been seeking to strengthen relations with Moscow. He has reached out to President Vladimir Putin and engaged in direct conversations with Russian officials in an attempt to mediate a ceasefire in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, which has lasted for three years.
Dmitriev took to Telegram to express that under the Biden administration, the dialogue between Russia and the U.S. had been completely broken. He emphasized that restoring this dialogue would be a gradual process, but he believed that each meeting and candid discussion would help make progress.
The Kremlin did not provide any additional details on Dmitriev’s visit, stating that he was fulfilling his duties within the scope of his mandate. Dmitriev was recently appointed as Putin’s special envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries.
In a post on X, Dmitriev also praised Trump’s global tariff strategy, noting that it had set “a precedent for self-reliant growth and sustainable job creation,” reflecting a shift toward economic sovereignty.
