MOSCOW/WASHINGTON: Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said on Friday he believes his country, the United States and Ukraine are close to a diplomatic solution to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Speaking to CNN after arriving in Washington for talks with US officials, Dmitriev said that a meeting between Donald Trump and Putin had not been canceled, as the US president described it, and that the two leaders will likely meet at a later date.
The planned summit was put on hold on Tuesday, as Russia’s rejection of an immediate ceasefire cast a cloud over attempts at negotiations. Trump said he canceled the planned meeting with Putin in Budapest because of a lack of progress in diplomatic efforts toward ending the war and a sense that the timing was off.
On Fox News’ “Special Report” program, Dmitriev also said he does not believe that recently imposed US sanctions on Russian oil companies will have a significant impact on the Russian economy.
“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.
