Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund who has played a key role in Moscow’s talks with the Trump administration, is expected to visit Washington “this week” for a meeting with President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, CNN reported, citing three sources.
Although Dmitriev is under U.S. sanctions, one source said the restrictions were temporarily lifted so the State Department could issue him a visa. Another source said a request to suspend the sanctions had been submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department.
A State Department spokesperson told CNN that “visa records are confidential” and declined to comment. The Treasury Department also declined to respond.
CNN notes that Dmitriev’s trip would mark the first visit to Washington by a high-ranking Russian official since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Responding on X to blogger Mario Nawfal, who posted a clip from the CNN broadcast, Dmitriev wrote:
Maybe. The resistance to US–Russia dialogue is real — driven by entrenched interests and old narratives. But what if improved relations are exactly what the world needs for lasting global security and peace?
