Putin Envoy In D.C. Hails Trump's Tariff Strategy: 'Shift Toward Economic Sovereignty'

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund and special Putin envoy who was sent this week to meet with top US officials in Washington, has said his two-days of meetings went well and that positive steps were made.

"I would say that today and yesterday, we made three steps forward on a large number of issues," Dmitriev said after meeting with Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, who has also been deeply involved in Ukraine negotiations.

It was Witkoff who met last month with President Putin in Moscow. As for Dmitriev's visit, it marked the first official trip of a top Russian official to the United States to meet with US officials since the Ukraine war began.

Dmitriev told CNN in a fresh interview that he conveyed to the Trump administration that Moscow is ready to do business again with American companies.

"At this point, we are not asking for any sanction relief. We are just discussing that if America wants to have more business with Russia... then of course US can do so," he said.

He warned that both sides must overcome the lack of communication which marked the opening three years of war in Ukraine. "Therefore, the process of dialogue, the process of resolution will take some time, but it is definitely positive and constructive," he described.

Dmitriev was in the US during the 'Liberation day' tariff rollout, praising a policy that reflects "a growing shift toward economic sovereignty and national interest."

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