Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev confirmed that he had arrived in Washington to meet with U.S. officials on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin between April 2 and 3.
Dmitriev, who heads the state-controlled Russian Direct Investment Fund, played a role in backchannel diplomacy between Moscow and U.S. President Donald Trump when he was first elected in 2016.
The official was then appointed by Putin as his representative for foreign economic relations and was involved in early U.S.-Russian negotiations in Riyadh in February.
Dmitriev met with Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, at the White House on April 2, Reuters reported. The content of their discussions remains unclear.
"The dialog between Russia and the United States — crucial for the entire world — has been completely destroyed under the Biden administration," Dmitriev wrote on his Telegram channel.
"Restoring dialog is a difficult and gradual process. But every meeting, every frank conversation allows us to move forward," he added.
Dmitriev's visit comes as Trump has threatened to impose secondary oil tariffs on Russia as he grows frustrated with the stalled ceasefire talks.
The U.S. president announced a 10% baseline tariff on nearly all imports into the country on April 2. Russia and Belarus were not included on the list as the White House says that any "meaningful trade" with these countries is non-existent due to existing sanctions.
"Opponents of the rapprochement fear that Russia and the United States will find common ground, begin to understand each other better, and build cooperation — both in international affairs and in the economy," Dmitriev said.
Dominic Culverwell
(Updated: )
