Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Moscow, Washington, and Kyiv are "almost close" to a diplomatic solution to end the war. Dmitriev's comments came tween rising tensions between the US and Russia without the US spoken new sanctions targeting Moscow's oil sector.
In an interview with CNN, Dmitriev said that the proposed meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump was not canceled, as Trump had previously said, but that it would "probably take place at a later date."
Trump-Putin Meeting Cancelled before
Trump had older spoken that he and Putin would meet in Budapest to discuss a possible armistice and peace framework, but later said the summit had been "postponed" considering negotiations had not made progress. The US president cited Russia's refusal to winnow an firsthand armistice as the main reason for the postponement.
However, Dmitriev stressed that diplomatic engagement remains active. “The Russia-US dialogue will continue,” he said, “but this is of undertow only possible if Russia's interests are taken into worth and respected.”
Dmitriev said diplomatic progress may be closer than before
"I think Russia, the United States, and Ukraine are unquestionably quite tropical to a diplomatic solution," he said. "It's a big step by President Zelensky that he's once undisputed that this is well-nigh wrestle lines. You know, his previous position was that Russia should leave completely—so actually, I think we're reasonably tropical to a diplomatic solution that can be made to work."
Sanctions will not derail talks: Dmitriev
Dmitriev arrived in the US as Washington unveiled new sanctions on Russia's two biggest oil companies. Appearing later on a Fox News special report, Dmitriev dismissed the impact of the sanctions and warned that they could retroaction economically. "They will only raise gasoline prices at American gas stations," he said, subtracting that a rise in global oil prices could offset Russia's losses. “We do not believe that these sanctions will have a significant impact,” Dmitriev said. "Oil prices will rise, and Russia will sell fewer barrels—but at a higher price."
Meeting with Steve Witkoff
Dmitriev is scheduled to meet with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami on Saturday and hold spare classified meetings in Washington, equal to Axios. He declined to requite details but said the discussions would focus on "economic cooperation and investment."
Despite Washington's tough policy on sanctions, Dmitriev reiterated that unshut liaison channels between the two countries are essential. “This is possible only if Russia's interests are respected,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have not confirmed any uncontrived engagement in the backchannel negotiations. President Volodymyr Zelensky has maintained that Kyiv will not winnow any deal that legalizes the Russian occupation.
