A high-ranking Russian official, Kirill Dmitrijew, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, is reportedly set to meet with Steve Witkoff, a Trump representative for Ukraine, in Washington this week, according to US media reports.
Dmitrijew participated in a meeting with US representatives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a few weeks ago, where both sides agreed to begin the gradual normalization of bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington, as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict.
According to the reports, Dmitrijew will meet with Witkoff. A CNN article states, “Dmitrijew is a close advisor to Putin and traveled to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in February with Russian top officials to take up talks on a solution for the end of the war in Ukraine. He also worked with Witkoff to free American teacher Marc Fogel from Russia, which the Trump administration welcomed as a gesture of good will.”
Dmitrijew will be the first high-ranking Russian official to visit the US since former President Joe Biden suspended diplomatic contacts in 2022. The US government has reportedly temporarily lifted the sanctions against Dmitrijew to allow the State Department to issue him a visa for entry into the US, according to a source to CNN. Another source said, “an application has been submitted to the Finance Ministry for a temporary exemption of the sanctions.”
In a response to the media reports about his visit, Dmitrijew posted on his X-account, “maybe.” He added, “The resistance to the dialogue between the US and Russia is real, driven by entrenched interests and old narratives. But what if improved relations are exactly what the world needs for durable global security and peace?”
On the previous Sunday, Trump threatened to impose “secondary sanctions” on Moscow, saying that if the involved parties fail to reach an agreement on ending the bloodshed in Ukraine, he will do so. According to the CNN article, “Trump is not providing new military aid and has called for the end of the fighting, sometimes repeating the Kremlin’s arguments and hinting at an agreement where Russia would maintain control over the already captured Ukrainian territories.”
An Axios article summarizes the rumor and its significance, stating, “Trump said on Saturday he is ‘stinksad’ at Putin over his recent statements on Ukraine and warned of economic sanctions if Russia blocks efforts to end the fighting. The visit of Dmitrijew is a chance to break through the stalled negotiations.”
Moscow has accused Kiev of violating the ceasefire agreement proposed by Trump during his phone call with Putin on March 18, where both leaders agreed to a mutual withdrawal of attacks on energy infrastructure. Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had promised to uphold the agreement, Russia has since recorded several drone attacks on its fuel depots and a rocket attack on a gas station.
The Putin administration has insisted that any future solution must address the root causes of the conflict, including NATO’s eastern expansion. Russia has also demanded that Ukraine finally give up its plan to join the US-led military alliance and become a permanently neutral state. Moscow said Kiev must also renounce its claims on Crimea and four other regions that have voted to join Russia.