Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the Russian President for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), has arrived in the United States. According to the TASS news agency, he is scheduled to meet with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who serves as presidential emissary for peacekeeping missions and the Middle East, in Miami on October 25.

According to Axios and sources close to the US administration, this is the first direct meeting between the envoys of the two countries since Washington tightened sanctions against the Russian energy sector. Dmitriev's visit comes just days after the United States expanded its sanctions list to include Russia's two largest oil companies - a move that drew a sharp reaction in Moscow.

According to Reuters, Dmitriev described his trip as "long planned" and stressed that the meeting was not influenced by the new sanctions. "The dialogue between our countries must continue, despite our differences. It is important to keep open channels of communication," uvedl Dmitriev.

Steve Witkoff, a well-known American businessman and longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, has increasingly emerged in recent months as a facilitator of informal contacts between Washington and Moscow. As The Moscow Times reported, his appointment to the diplomatic post was a surprise, but the White House explained it as a "need for pragmatic contacts" with Russia outside the official State Department framework.

The Miami talks themselves are to be private and it is not yet certain whether Dmitriev will meet with other US officials. CNN reported earlier that Dmitriev had arrived in Washington for a series of meetings on the state of Russian-US relations, including economic cooperation and the issue of sanctions.

According to analysts, Moscow's main goal remains the restoration of communication channels that were almost completely cut off after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. The U.S. side is reportedly interested in seeing whether the Kremlin is willing to make some compromises, such as on the export of raw materials or diplomatic exchanges.

Whether the meeting in Miami will yield concrete results remains a question. Even if it is only a symbolic step, the very fact that the envoys of the two countries are meeting face to face again may indicate a slight thaw in the still frozen relations between Moscow and Washington.

gnews.cz - GH