By Gleb Stolyarov and Guy Faulconbridge
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, to the United States for talks with members of Donald Trump’s administration is possible, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, but declined to give any further details.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that Dmitriev is expected in Washington for talks this week, the most senior Russian official to visit since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022. The news was first reported by CNN.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked by reporters if Dmitriev would be visiting Washington for talks with Trump administration officials, including U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, said that such a visit was possible.
“Yes, I confirm that such a visit may be possible,” Peskov said. “We continue to communicate with the Americans through various channels. I can’t tell you anything more specific.”
The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which Dmitriev heads, declined immediate comment.
Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants the three-year war in Ukraine to end and has warned of the risks of it escalating into World War Three between the United States and Russia.
But the U.S. president said on Sunday he was “pissed off” with Putin and spoke of the possibility of imposing sanctions on those who buy Russian crude. Russia is the world’s second largest exporter of crude after Saudi Arabia.
Trump has also expressed frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who he said was trying to renegotiate a minerals deal.
“Putin remains open to peace talks,” the Kremlin’s Peskov said. “President Putin remains open to seeking a political and diplomatic settlement in Ukraine.”
PUTIN’S INVESTMENT ENVOY
It is not publicly known what Dmitriev would discuss in Washington but he could bring a message from Putin to Trump.
The Stanford-educated former Goldman Sachs investment banker is one of the most U.S.-savvy members of Russia’s elite with close relations to some key members of the Trump team.
He may be key in repairing relations that were, until Trump’s January inauguration, the worst between Moscow and Washington since the most dangerous junctures of the Cold War.
Dmitriev, 49, played a role in early contacts with the U.S. when Trump was first elected president in 2016, as well as in building relations with Saudi Arabia, which led to an oil price agreement under the expanded OPEC+ producers’ forum.
He has regular meetings with Putin and U.S. sanctions statements cast Dmitriev as “a known Putin ally”.
Over recent weeks, Dmitriev has mentioned a host of initiatives in which Russia and the United States could work together, from investment, rare earths and energy to the Arctic, space and cooperation with Elon Musk.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Ros Russell)
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