Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, said the latest US sanctions on Russian oil companies will not significantly affect the Russian economy. Speaking to Fox News during his visit to Washington, Dmitriev said global oil prices would likely offset the effect of reduced sales.
“We do not believe that these sanctions will have significant impact on the Russian economy, because oil prices in the world will rise and Russia will sell just fewer gallons of oil, but at the higher price,” he said, according to Reuters.
In a separate interview with CNN, Dmitriev said he believed Russia, the United States, and Ukraine are nearing a diplomatic breakthrough to end the war in Ukraine. “I believe Russia and the US and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution,” he said, without elaborating on what that solution might entail.
The envoy noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent acknowledgment that negotiations could be based on current battle lines marked a “big move” from his earlier stance that Russia must withdraw entirely.
“You know, his previous position was that Russia should leave completely. So actually, I think we are reasonably close to a diplomatic solution that can be worked out,” Dmitriev told the network, reported Reuters.
Trump-Putin meeting delayed, not cancelled
Dmitriev’s remarks came amid confusion over a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and President Putin. Trump said earlier this week that the Budapest meeting was cancelled due to lack of progress toward a ceasefire.
However, Dmitriev clarified that the meeting had merely been postponed, saying it would likely be held at a later date.
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European diplomats told Reuters that a new proposal for a ceasefire is being developed, incorporating earlier ideas while ensuring continued US involvement in negotiations.
While Dmitriev declined to name all the officials he planned to meet in Washington, Axios reported that he would meet Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami on Saturday. The Russian state agency TASS also quoted him as saying he would meet other unnamed individuals during his visit.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and despite intermittent diplomatic efforts, a lasting ceasefire has yet to be achieved.
(With inputs from agencies)