President Vladimir Putin’s economic envoy met with White House officials in Florida on Wednesday, marking the first talks between the two countries since the war in the Middle East put a pause on Ukraine peace negotiations.
Kirill Dmitriev, who also serves as CEO of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, flew to the United States after the Trump administration lifted some sanctions on Russian oil earlier this week as a measure to ease pressure on global energy prices.
Dmitriev met with White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, who also serves as a Trump adviser.
In a post on X, the Kremlin envoy called the discussion “productive.” Witkoff, in his own post, wrote that “the teams discussed a variety of topics and agreed to stay in touch.”
Dmitriev said after the Florida meeting that U.S. officials were “beginning to better understand” the importance of Russian energy in global markets.
“We discussed promising projects that could contribute to the restoration of Russian-American relations and the current crisis on global energy markets,” he wrote in a separate post on Telegram.
“Today, many countries, primarily the United States, are beginning to better understand the key, systemic role of Russian oil and gas in ensuring the stability of the global economy, as well as the ineffectiveness and destructive nature of sanctions against Russia,” Dmitriev added.
Sources told The Moscow Times last year that the Kremlin ordered major Russian corporations to prepare proposals for economic cooperation with the United States following Trump’s election. According to those sources, Moscow has sought to link business deals to Ukraine peace talks as a way to push Trump toward a settlement more favorable to Russia.
Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine have been put on hold since American and Israeli forces began bombing Iran in late February. A new round of talks had been expected earlier this month.
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