Published On 25/10/2025
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Last update: 04:18 (Mecca time)
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said Friday that he believes Russia, the United States and Ukraine are close to reaching a diplomatic solution to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Speaking to CNN after arriving in Washington for talks with American officials, Dmitriev confirmed that the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Putin has not been cancelled, as the US President described it, and that the two leaders are likely to meet at a later time.
The summit scheduled to be held was suspended on Tuesday, as Russia’s rejection of an immediate ceasefire cast a shadow over attempts to negotiate. Trump said he canceled the meeting with Putin in Budapest due to a lack of progress in diplomatic efforts toward ending the war and a feeling that the timing was not right.
However, Dmitriev said, “I think that Russia, the United States and Ukraine are actually very close to reaching a diplomatic solution,” without providing details about what that would entail.
European diplomats said this week that European countries are working with Ukraine on a new proposal for a ceasefire in the war along existing battle lines, essentially incorporating ideas already under discussion with pressure to keep the United States in a pivotal role.
“It is a big step for the Ukrainian president (Volodymyr Zelensky) to admit that it is about battle lines,” Dmitriev said. “You know, his previous position was that Russia should leave completely, so in fact, I think we are reasonably close to a diplomatic solution that can be reached.”
Trump announced last week that he would meet with Putin soon in Hungary to try to end the war, but Putin was not ready to consider making concessions.
Russia has long demanded that Ukraine agree to cede more territory before any ceasefire.
Dmitriev’s visit to the United States for a long-planned meeting comes against the backdrop of recently announced US sanctions on two major Russian oil companies, a move aimed at pressuring Putin to end the war.
Despite this move, Dmitriev said that the dialogue between Russia and the United States will continue.
He added, “The Russian-American dialogue will continue, but it is certainly not possible unless Russia’s interests are taken into account and treated with respect.”
Dmitriev declined to disclose who he would meet during the visit, and expected that the US oil sanctions would backfire.