A representative of the US presidential administration will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) this year, marking the first such visit in several years, Russian media reported. Rodney Mims Cook, head of the US federal Commission of Fine Arts, said he has been invited to attend the plenary session and President Vladimir Putin’s address at the June forum.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The organizing committee of the forum and the US State Department confirmed that I am invited, and I will be present,” Cook told Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti. Cook, who was appointed head of the Commission of Fine Arts in January 2026, is also the founder of the US National Monument Foundation and a specialist affiliated with the World Monuments Fund. He has previously taken part in cultural restoration projects in Russia and has delivered lectures at several high-profile Russian institutions, including the Kremlin Armory and the Arkhangelskoye estate. The planned participation comes as Russian officials and business lobbyists signal a cautious return of American corporate interest in SPIEF, though still below pre-war levels. Robert Agee, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, said more US companies are expected to attend this year compared to recent editions, but numbers remain significantly lower than before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.