Kirill Dmitriev, special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin for investments and economic cooperation, stated that he believes that Russia, the United States (U.S.), and Ukraine are close to a diplomatic solution to end the war in Ukraine.
In an interview, after arriving in Washington for talks with U.S. officials, Dmitriev said that the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was not canceled, as the U.S. president had previously described, and that the two leaders will likely meet later.
The planned summit was postponed on Tuesday, while Russia’s rejection of an immediate ceasefire cast a shadow over the negotiations. Trump said he canceled the meeting in Budapest due to a lack of progress in diplomatic efforts and a sense that time had run out.
Dmitriev, however, emphasized: “I believe that Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution.”
He did not offer details on what that solution would entail. European countries are currently cooperating with Ukraine on a new proposal for a ceasefire along existing front lines, with insistence on the central role of the U.S.
The American media company Axios reported that Dmitriev will meet with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami on Saturday, while the Russian media stated that he will also meet with other officials, whom he did not name.
“It is a big move by President Zelenskyy that he has already acknowledged that it’s about the front lines. His previous position was that Russia should leave completely, so I think we are relatively close to a diplomatic solution that can be achieved,” said Dmitriev.
Context and U.S. sanctions
Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump announced last week that he would soon meet with Putin in Hungary to try to end the war, but Putin was not willing to consider concessions.
Dmitriev’s visit to the U.S. takes place in the context of recently announced U.S. sanctions on the two largest Russian oil companies, with the aim of pressuring Putin to end the war. Dmitriev nevertheless emphasized that dialogue between Russia and the U.S. will continue, but “with respect for the interests of Russia”.
He refused to say who he is meeting with, but predicted that the U.S. oil sanctions “will backfire on those who impose them”: “They will only lead to gasoline price increases at U.S. gas stations,” said Dmitriev.
U.S. media reported that Dmitriev would meet in Miami on Saturday with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, while Russian media stated that he would also meet with other officials whom he did not name.
