Putin’s envoy Dmitriev meets Trump officials ahead of oil sanctions deadline

Prefer on Google by Sonya Bandouil Kremlin economic negotiator Kirill Dmitriev in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 19, 2017. (Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev is currently in the United States holding meetings with officials from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, according to sources cited by Reuters. The talks are reportedly focused on potential peace negotiations over Ukraine, as well as broader U.S.-Russia economic cooperation. Dmitriev’s visit comes just days before an April 11 deadline on whether Washington will extend sanctions relief on Russian oil, a decision that could factor into the discussions. The Trump administration previously issued a 30-day waiver allowing countries to purchase sanctioned Russian oil shipments that were stranded at sea, aiming to stabilize global energy markets disrupted by the war with Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the temporary relief was intended to ease volatility in global oil prices. The move followed a March 9 phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which helped set the stage for renewed diplomatic engagement. Dmitriev had also traveled to the United States shortly after that call to discuss the energy crisis with a U.S. delegation that included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February have caused global energy prices to surge, after Iran retaliated by attacking oil and gas infrastructure across the region, and targeted tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil and gas flows. Due to the war with Iran, U.S.-led trilateral peace talks with Russia and Ukraine have been put on an indefinite pause. Dmitriev , the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, has played a key role in Moscow's outreach to Washington.