Kirill Dmitriev will reportedly meet with Trumps Ukraine negotiator, Steve Witkoff

Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, will visit Washington this week, CNN and Axios reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, participated in the meeting with US officials in Riyadh on February 18, where the sides agreed to start gradually normalizing bilaretal relations. The meeting was part of President Donald Trump's efforts to broker an end to the Ukraine conflict.

According to reports, Dmitriev will meet with Trump's Ukraine envoy, Steve Witkoff. He will be the first senior Russian official to visit the US since former President Joe Biden suspended diplomatic contacts in 2022. The US Treasury reportedly temporarily lifted sanctions against Dmitriev to allow him to enter the country.

Reacting to the reports about his visit, Dmitriev wrote "maybe" on his X account. "The resistance to US-Russia dialogue is real - driven by entrenched interests and old narratives," he added. "But what if improved relations are exactly what the world needs for lasting global security and peace?"

On Sunday, Trump threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" on Moscow if the countries fail to "make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine."

Russia has accused Ukraine of violating the mutual pause on attacks on energy infrastructure proposed by Trump during his call with Putin back on March 18. Although Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky promised to respect the agreement, Russia has since recorded drone strikes on its fuel depots, as well as a missile strike on a gas metering station.

Moscow has insisted that any future settlement must address the root causes of the conflict, including NATO's expansion eastward. Russia has demanded that Ukraine drop its plan to join the US-led military alliance and become a permanently neutral state. Moscow also said that Kiev must renounce claims on Crimea and four other regions that have voted to become part of Russia.

(RT.com)