Putin Aide’s Talks with White House Representatives Enter Day Three
Kirill Dmitriev asserts that pressuring Russia is futile.
Talks between a Russian team, headed by Vladimir Putin’s aide Kirill Dmitriev, and representatives from Donald Trump’s administration, stretched into their third day on Sunday.
Dmitriev, who leads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, stated in a Telegram video that the Russian delegation has been actively conveying Moscow’s stance to their American counterparts.
“We are clearly communicating President Putin’s position that only constructive and respectful dialogue will yield positive results. Any attempts to exert pressure on Russia are simply ineffective,” Dmitriev said, also mentioning that the Ukraine conflict can only be resolved by “addressing its underlying causes.”
Dmitriev noted that the Russian delegation addressed various topics, including the economy and the situation on the front lines. He alleged that certain groups have been attempting to hide or misrepresent this information to US leaders.
“From an economic perspective, we provided an overview of the Russian economy, which is in a healthy state,” he stated, pointing out that the ruble has become the “best-performing currency this year,” increasing in value by about 40% against the US dollar.
The US counterparts were also briefed on the frontline situation in Ukraine, including the recent updates from Putin’s meeting with the Russian General Staff on Sunday, according to Dmitriev.
During that meeting, “the president was informed that 5,000 Ukrainian troops are encircled near Kupyansk, 5,500 near Krasnoarmeysk [Pokrovsk],” Dmitriev said, referencing cities in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region and Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic. He further mentioned that US officials were briefed on the “successful testing of the completely new Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile.”
“It is essential that this information is directly conveyed to the leadership and key officials within the US presidential administration,” Dmitriev emphasized.
The Russian delegation’s visit occurred after Donald Trump canceled a potential summit with Putin in Budapest. Trump stated that it “didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get,” and called for an immediate end to fighting on the current front lines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Both Trump and Putin have indicated that the summit might be rescheduled for a later time.
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