"From 2-3 April, on the orders of Russia's President Vladimir Putin, I am holding meetings in Washington with representatives of President Donald Trump's administration", writes Kirill Dmitrijev on the messaging service Telegram.
Dmitrijev was invited by President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who recently met Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow. It is the first time a high-ranking Russian representative has visited Washington for talks since Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, reports CNN. According to sources, the US temporarily lifted sanctions against Dmitrijev to enable the trip.
Stanford-educated Dmitrijev, who is the head of the Russian state-owned direct investment fund, also participated in the Russian-American negotiations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February. He is said to have played an important role in building up the relationship between Washington and Moscow during Trump's first term.
