US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly described President Putin’s special representative Kirill Dmitriev as a “Russian propagandist” during his visit to Washington for talks on bilateral relations.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Discussion on the Impact of US Sanctions on the Russian Economy
During a broadcast on CBS News, host Margaret Brennan asked Bessent about Dmitriev’s remarks, in which he claimed that American sanctions would have no impact on the Russian economy. In response, the US Treasury Secretary questioned the appropriateness of disseminating such statements in the media:
“Margaret, are you really going to publish what a Russian propagandist says? What else can he say?” Bessent replied, adding that Russia’s economy is now a wartime economy with “virtually zero” growth and inflation exceeding 20%. “And everything we do will push Putin towards negotiations,” Bessent said.
Bessent also emphasized that the Russian Federation’s economy is currently operating in a mode that is as close to a military model as possible, with growth rates practically at zero. Furthermore, the inflation rate has already surpassed 20%, which seriously affects the well-being of the population.
Dmitriev’s Visit and Russia’s Position
Kirill Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund and is a special representative of the President of the Russian Federation, arrived in the US at the end of October 2025 for official negotiations. His visit came after US President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of a planned meeting with Vladimir Putin in Budapest.
Summarizing the results of the trip, Dmitriev stated that he had clearly communicated Putin’s position to the American side regarding the need for constructive and respectful dialogue between the countries. He also reported that the US had been informed about the successful tests of the Russian missile “Burevestnik,” which Putin had previously mentioned himself.
The US Treasury Secretary stressed that there are no real grounds to trust such statements from official Russian representatives, as they reflect solely the official propaganda line of the Kremlin. According to him, Dmitriev’s statements are an expected position that the Russian official is compelled to defend during international trips.