[By Guancha Observer Network, Chen Sijia] According to a report by the Cable News Network (CNN) on April 1st, a U.S. official and two people with knowledge of the matter revealed that Russian President's Special Representative Kirill Dmitriev is expected to visit Washington, the U.S. capital this week. This will be the first time since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that a senior Russian official will travel to Washington for talks.

The sources said that Dmitriev will meet with U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkowski to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. CNN commented that this marks another step towards warming relations between the United States and Russia since Trump's return to the White House.

A source said that the Trump administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Dmitriev so that the U.S. Department of State could issue him a visa to enter the U.S. Another source said that the U.S. Treasury Department had previously received a request to suspend sanctions.

In response to this news, the U.S. Treasury Department declined to comment. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said that according to U.S. law, visa records are classified information, so they "cannot comment on individual visa issues."

Representatives of Dmitriev declined to respond to CNN's request for comment. However, TASS reported that Dmitriev himself replied to related posts on the platform X, saying, "Perhaps it will happen. There are indeed obstacles in U.S.-Russia dialogue, rooted in vested interests and outdated narratives. But what if improving relations is exactly what the world needs for lasting security and peace?"

The 49-year-old Dmitriev was born in Kiev and has served as the president of the Russian Direct Investment Fund since 2011. He was appointed by President Putin as the special representative responsible for foreign investment and economic cooperation on February 23rd of this year. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Dmitriev was sanctioned by the United States and other Western countries.

On February 18th local time, as a member of the Russian delegation, Dmitriev participated in the U.S.-Russia talks held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Russian International News Agency reported that during these talks, Dmitriev discussed with U.S. officials about restoring investment and economic cooperation between Russia and the U.S.

CNN mentioned that during Witkowski's visit to Russia in February, Dmitriev also collaborated with Witkowski to facilitate the release of American teacher Mark Fogel, who was detained by Russia in 2021. The Trump administration praised Russia's move, calling it a gesture of goodwill.

Kirill Dmitriev, TASS

Last month, U.S. officials held talks separately with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. On March 25th local time, the U.S. issued two statements regarding the talks, saying that the U.S. had reached consensus with both parties on ensuring the safety of Black Sea navigation. They will prevent the use of force and ensure that commercial ships are not used for military purposes. Both sides agreed to develop measures with the U.S. to implement agreements prohibiting attacks on energy facilities of both countries.

However, CNN cited three sources with knowledge of the matter, saying that although Witkowski has visited Moscow twice, Trump privately questioned whether Russian President Putin can be trusted. Trump expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in the peace talks and his patience was "gradually running out." Previously, Trump told U.S. media that he suspected Russia might be "buying time."

On March 31st, Trump said he hoped to see Putin "reach an agreement" to end the Ukraine conflict. Trump reiterated that if necessary, he would impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil.

Trump also appeared disappointed with Ukraine. Last week, he accused Ukrainian President Zelenskyy of "trying to back out" of U.S.-Ukraine mineral resource agreement negotiations. Trump warned that if Ukraine refuses to sign the mineral agreement, Zelenskyy will face "big trouble."

According to the Russian satellite news agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said on April 1st that Russia takes the U.S. proposals on the Ukraine issue seriously but will not accept them in their entirety because the suggestions still lack the requirement proposed by Russia to address the root causes of the crisis.

Ryabkov said, "All of this is just an attempt to find some kind of solution, primarily achieving the U.S. desired ceasefire, then turning to other models and solutions. In our view, these solutions do not include our main demand, which is addressing the root causes of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. We attach great importance to the U.S. proposed solutions, but we cannot accept them entirely without modification."

Putin's press secretary Peskov said on the same day that Russia will maintain contact with the U.S., "The content we are discussing regarding the Ukraine problem solution is very complex and requires a lot of extra effort. We will continue to contact the U.S. side."

This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7488607695193293321/

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