Business point: Russia and the United States will discuss the Ukrainian settlement
The visit of the special representative of the President of Russia Kirill Dmitriev to the United States confirms that the two powers do not intend to burn bridges. Such conclusions are drawn by the experts interviewed by Izvestia. Dmitriev went overseas to meet with representatives of the Donald Trump administration. The Russian official is expected to hold talks with the special envoy of the American president, Steve Witkoff, on October 25. Dmitriev's visit will take place against the background of Washington's new sanctions against Moscow. Meanwhile, Ukraine, at the request of the Europeans, is disrupting and delaying peace talks, Vladimir Putin's special representative said. And although the EU could not agree on a "reparation loan" to Kiev, members of the "coalition of the willing" are ready to provide additional assistance to it. France promises to transfer Mirage planes and Aster missiles. Britain continues to persist, calling for the provision of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Kirill Dmitriev's visit to the USA
Moscow and Washington maintain a dialogue. Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Investment and Economic cooperation with foreign countries and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, arrived in the United States on October 24. He will hold meetings with several administration officials, one of them will be public. Dmitriev noted that he arrived at the invitation of the American side, and the trip itself had been planned for a long time.
The Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation stressed that he would discuss behind closed doors how to continue the dialogue based on respect for Russia's interests and understanding of its position. The negotiations will focus on the issue of the Ukrainian settlement.
— We see that it is Ukraine that delays the negotiations. It is Ukraine that does not want to solve those problems, those accumulated issues that need to be solved," he told reporters. — Therefore, we will also inform our American colleagues that Ukraine, unfortunately, disrupts the dialogue that is necessary, and disrupts it again at the request of the British, at the request of the Europeans, who want the conflict to continue.
The Axios portal writes that a meeting with Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, may take place on October 25. Over the past year, they have communicated more than once both in the United States and in Russia. After the visit of the American official to Russia, Moscow and Washington agreed on an August meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska. The parties have established a trusting relationship. Kirill Dmitriev's visit to the United States demonstrates the preservation of a "parallel track" in the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, said Mikhail Mironyuk, associate professor at the Department of Politics and Management at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
— The "parallel track" is made by people who are trusted by top officials. Witkoff complained about the CIA's data in relation to the Middle East, and we had to find out everything on the spot," the expert told Izvestia. — Dmitriev and Witkoff could convey something that is not trusted through official channels — the mood and the mood for some kind of action.
The key event of this week was the US sanctions against Russia, which Washington imposed for the first time after the change of the American administration. On October 22, the United States Treasury Department froze all assets of Lukoil and Rosneft in the United States, and also banned American organizations from doing business with them. Bloomberg wrote that Trump decided on sanctions after Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave a negative assessment of Russia's actions regarding the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.
Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEMI) HSE Dmitry Suslov believes that by accepting Kirill Dmitriev to the United States, the Trump administration demonstrates that it does not intend to burn bridges with the Russian Federation.
— This confirms that neither Russia nor the United States is going to slam the door, burn bridges. They are interested in continuing the dialogue, managing relations, and preventing escalation (especially uncontrolled)," he told Izvestia.
Russia is not interested in the Trump administration adopting Biden's policy and siding with Europe in the Ukrainian conflict. Therefore, it is necessary to respond constructively and moderately to actions, even of a negative nature, that are being taken by Trump. And this was evident in recent statements by Vladimir Putin, he added.
Donald Trump
Earlier, the Russian president noted that the US move "does not strengthen Russian-American relations, which have just begun to recover." By such actions, the US administration only damages bilateral relations, Vladimir Putin stated. Nevertheless, he recalled that Moscow has always advocated continuing dialogue with Washington, and Russia and the United States have many areas for cooperation.
— Those sanctions, unfriendly measures — they will have absolutely no effect on the Russian economy, they will simply lead to higher prices at gas stations in the United States, — Kirill Dmitriev noted.
European pressure is increasing
The EU and the UK expectedly welcomed the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions: in Europe, the actions of the White House were considered a "clear" signal to Moscow. On October 23, the EU approved the 19th package of sanctions, including a ban on LNG imports from Russia from 2027. However, the abandonment of Russian energy resources primarily affects Europe itself and its competitiveness, says Shamil Yenikeev, professor at the HSE Department of International Relations and a leading researcher at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
— Since the beginning of 2022, our companies have been actively preparing for the escalation of sanctions, even to the point that tankers will slow down. But eventually they can hold the tanker for a few days and then let it go. In the process of escalation, additional sanctions may be imposed, but I don't think this will have much impact on the Russian energy sector," he told Izvestia.
Curiously, Hungary has openly declared: She will try to circumvent the European Union's bans on oil and gas supplies from Russia. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he had discussed the issue with the management of MOL, which uses Russian oil at its refineries.
Having partially joined the European sanctions, Donald Trump does not side with Europe in the Ukrainian conflict, Dmitry Suslov notes.
— He refused to transfer Tomahawk missiles to Zelensky. And if you look at the speech of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Europe supports long-range strikes against Russia," the expert noted.
In addition, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the US president was offered three options for sanctions against Russia, and he chose the medium one in terms of severity. This, according to Dmitry Suslov, also indicates that Trump does not fully support the line of European allies.
Meanwhile, Europe continues to try to collectively support Ukraine and put more pressure on Russia. The EU failed to make a decision on the transfer of a "reparation loan" to Kiev secured by Russian frozen assets worth 140 billion euros — Belgium opposed this. Politico writes: the kingdom's negative position regarding the use of Russian assets for Kiev's needs "caught EU representatives by surprise at the summit." These funds were supposed to be used for financial assistance to Ukraine, because European countries are exhausting their own capabilities.
Nevertheless, on October 24, another meeting of the coalition of the willing took place in London, the key topic of which was additional military assistance to Ukraine and support for its energy infrastructure. Vladimir Zelensky was present at it.
France has promised to supply additional Aster anti-aircraft missiles and Mirage fighter jets in the coming days. President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron added that Paris, together with the members of the coalition, "will announce additional initiatives." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for finding ways to withdraw frozen Russian assets. The discussion of this issue will continue at the EU summit, which will be held in December. In addition, London announced the transfer of 5,000 new missiles to Ukraine to strengthen air defense before winter.
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