The Kremlin on Friday acknowledged that Kirill Dmitriev, President Vladimir Putin’s special investment envoy, is in the United States but emphasized the purpose of the visit is economic rather than diplomatic negotiations over Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Dmitriev is not engaged in negotiating a settlement in Ukraine and that the visit should not be interpreted as the resumption of peace talks. According to Peskov, Dmitriev heads a team convened to address economic questions and continues to operate in that capacity while in the U.S.
Reports indicate Dmitriev is meeting with members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to discuss U.S.-Russia economic cooperation. The Kremlin reiterated that these engagements are focused on economic issues rather than on negotiating a ceasefire or a peace agreement.
In comments that accompanied the confirmation of Dmitriev’s trip, the Kremlin said that peace could be achieved today if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were to make that decision. Peskov added that, from Moscow’s perspective, Russia seeks peace rather than a mere ceasefire.
The Kremlin also characterized the temporary pause in hostilities observed over Orthodox Easter as humanitarian in nature.
Summary of matters confirmed by the Kremlin:
- Dmitriev is in the United States to pursue economic discussions and is not negotiating a Ukraine settlement.
- Meetings involve members of the U.S. administration and are described as focused on economic cooperation.
- The Kremlin stated that peace could occur if Ukraine’s president decides it is to occur and described the Orthodox Easter pause as humanitarian.
The public statements leave the Kremlin’s position on the distinction between a negotiated settlement and other forms of cessation of hostilities clear: Dmitriev’s current mission is economic, and Russia frames its objective as achieving peace rather than only a ceasefire. Beyond that clarification, officials did not provide further detail about the substance of the economic discussions or any potential follow-up engagements.