Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian negotiator, plans to visit Washington this week for a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Biegun. The main goal of the visit is to discuss strengthening relations between Russia and the United States, as well as the desire to end the war in Ukraine.
This is reported by Kyiv24
This visit will mark the first time a high-ranking Russian official has visited the U.S. capital for talks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It signifies the next stage in improving relations between the countries following Donald Trump’s election as president in January.
Negotiations in Riyadh
Kirill Dmitriev, who is a close advisor to President Putin, visited Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in February this year along with other Russian officials, where he began discussions on a possible resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. He also worked with Biegun on the release of American teacher Mark Vogel, which was seen as a gesture of goodwill from Russia.
U.S. Visa Sanctions
The U.S. government has temporarily lifted sanctions against Dmitriev to allow him to obtain a visa to enter the country. This was reported by one source familiar with the situation. Another source confirmed that a request for a temporary suspension of sanctions had been submitted to the Treasury Department.
A State Department representative noted that “visa records are confidential under U.S. law,” so they “cannot comment on individual visa cases.”
CNN also reached out to the White House, but a Treasury Department representative did not provide any comments.