Top Russian envoy reportedly visits US after Trump's sanctions
Editor's note: The story was updated with additional details.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's senior economic negotiator, has arrived in the U.S. for talks with American officials, CNN reported on Oct. 24, citing undisclosed sources.
The trip comes only days after U.S. President Donald Trump, for the first time, imposed sanctions against Russia, targeting the country's energy giants Rosneft and Lukoil.
The new penalties, intended to pressure Moscow into accepting a ceasefire in Ukraine, follow the collapse of planned diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Russia in Budapest.
Dmitriev, the Kyiv-born head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), has been a key figure in the Kremlin's outreach to the Trump administration, having visited the U.S. in April and participated in high-level talks in Alaska in August.
As part of his visit, Dmitriev is expected to discuss "the U.S.-Russia relationship" with Trump administration officials, CNN reported.
This should include a meeting with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami on Oct. 25, according to Axios. Moscow hopes to resume efforts for a summit between Putin and Trump, according to the outlet.
Recent weeks were marked by unexpected turnarounds in U.S. policy. Trump initially suggested arming Ukraine with powerful Tomahawk missiles, but dropped the idea soon after in favor of a new meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After preliminary talks for the Budapest summit hit roadblocks, Trump pivoted again and slapped new sanctions on Moscow.
Putin called the sanctions an "unfriendly act" but said his country would not yield to U.S. economic pressure. He also said that Russia remains open to dialogue, and the White House later confirmed that a future meeting between the leaders is not ruled out.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
