Kirill Dmitriev, a senior Kremlin adviser and head of a large state investment fund, is scheduled to visit Washington this week for talks with US officials about Ukraine and bilateral relations, the Kremlin said.
Dmitriev's announced visit comes as Washington and Moscow seek to repair relations after years of rising tensions that preceded Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, has taken a more prominent role in negotiations with U.S. officials in recent months. He recently met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff when he traveled to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin and others.
Speaking to reporters on April 2, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed reports from Reuters and CNN that Dmitriyev's visit could take place this week.
"Yes, I confirm. This visit is possible. We are continuing talks with the Americans. I will not give more specific (details)," Peskov said.
In a post on Xu, responding to another report of the visit, Dmitriev said "maybe."
CNN and Reuters, citing unnamed officials, said Dmitriev would meet with Vitkoff. Reuters said the meeting would reportedly take place on April 2.
CNN said Dmitriyev had to be granted a special visa because he is under US sanctions.
Both countries are praising steps to repair relations, which began to deteriorate in 2012 during Barack Obama's presidency and then deteriorated significantly after the invasion of Ukraine.
Trump has made ending Russia's more than three-year invasion of Ukraine one of his top foreign policy priorities.
Unlike his predecessor, Joe Biden, who refused to cooperate with Moscow, the Trump administration has done just that, holding at least two phone calls with Putin and sending top advisers, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to Saudi Arabia last month to open negotiations.
However, last week Trump attacked Putin and threatened Russia with new tariffs on oil products if Moscow blocks his ceasefire initiatives.
During a phone interview with NBC News on March 30, Trump said he was "very angry" and "furious" when Putin called for the establishment of a transitional government in Ukraine, which could effectively remove current President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Dmitriev was at talks in Saudi Arabia, focused not only on resolving the war, but more broadly on rebuilding US-Russian relations.
Considered a close ally of Putin, he is seen as a key player in talks to revive investment between the two countries amid reports of talks on joint rare earth projects.
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