Russian President Vladimir Putin is assembling a team of veteran negotiators to engage with U.S. President Donald Trump's representatives in potential talks to end Russia's war against Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 14, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Feb. 13 that Moscow has begun forming a delegation for negotiations with the United States, following a phone call between Putin and Trump.
Putin's team will reportedly include Yuriy Ushakov, his longtime foreign policy aide and former Russian ambassador to the U.S.; Sergey Naryshkin, director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR); and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a close associate of Putin's youngest daughter, Katerina Tikhonova.
Ushakov has been involved in Russian diplomatic efforts for decades and participated in previous negotiations with Ukraine in 2022.
Dmitriev has played a role in diplomatic exchanges, including the recent release of American teacher Marc Fogel from Russian detention, according to Reuters.
Andrea Januta
Naryshkin, a longtime Putin ally who first met the Russian leader in the KGB in the 1980s, has headed the SVR since 2016 and was also part of Russia's 2022 negotiations with Ukraine.
Other members of the Kremlin's 2022 negotiating team may later join, with Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky potentially playing a role in talks involving Ukrainian representatives, according to Bloomberg's sources.
Moscow and Kyiv engaged in direct negotiations in Belarus and Turkey during the early months of the full-scale invasion, but those talks ultimately failed. No formal direct discussions between the two sides have taken place since then.
Trump has tasked his own delegation, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, to lead negotiations.
The Kremlin has repeatedly emphasized that it views the U.S. as its "main counterpart" in efforts to end the war.
Zelensky said that he wants European allies to be involved in peace negotiations. Kyiv insists that no talks about Ukraine and ending Russia's war should be held without Ukraine.
Nataliya Bugayova
