On October 24, in a rare optimistic signal, Mr. Kirill Dmitriev - CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and a special sending off of President Putin - said that he believes that Russia, the US and Ukraine are truly quite close to a diplomatic solution to end the conflict.
This statement was made by Dmitriev shortly after he went to Washington to hold talks with US officials. The visit comes as the US has just announced new sanctions targeting Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.
Explaining his optimism, Dmitriev said there has been a significant change in Kiev's stance. He quoted President Zelensky as saying that the problem now is the front lines. Dmitriev implied that this suggested that Kiev may have abandoned the request for Russia to completely withdraw troops before negotiations.
In addition, Mr. Dmitriev also denied reports that US President Donald Trump was disappointed in the negotiation process. He said that there is a lot of false information spreading.
Regarding the summit between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin, Mr. Dmitriev affirmed that it was not canceled as the US President described. According to him, the meeting was only postponed and is still likely to take place in the future.
Although Dmitriev did not disclose details about the diplomatic solution Russia is aiming for, European diplomats also said they are working with Ukraine on a new ceasefire proposal. The proposal is expected to be based on maintaining current front lines and emphasizing the US's indispensable central role in the process.
Despite the new US sanctions, Dmitriev affirmed that the dialogue between Russia and the US will continue. However, he stressed that this could only be done if Russia's interests were considered and treated respectfully.
The Russian special missionary declined to reveal which US officials he will meet during the visit, but predicted that US oil sanctions would be counterproductive and would lead to higher prices for gasoline at US gas stations.
