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Putin envoy and top US negotiator to meet at White House

Christal Hayes
BBC News, Washington
Getty Images Kirill Dmitriev photographed wearing a suit with a red lanyard Getty Images

A top Russian official is in Washington this week for meetings with the Trump administration, as negotiations continue on a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Kirill Dmitriev, an economic envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, is expected to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has become a key player in talks about the conflict, at the White House, according to media reports.

Mr Dmitriev, who runs his country's sovereign wealth fund, is one of the most senior Russian officials to visit the US since the Ukraine invasion started in 2022.

The meeting will happen days after President Donald Trump said he was "very angry" and "pissed off" with Putin over the state of negotiations.

A reporter with CBS News, the BBC's US partner, has reported the meeting could happen on Wednesday, the same day Trump has planned to unveil his tariff plan during a White House event. Reuters has also reported the meeting is expected then.

In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Trump also threatened to hit Russia's economy if a deal wasn't soon reached. Trump specifically took issue with comments made by Putin that attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's credibility, although Trump has made similar digs.

Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on countries buying Russian oil if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine within a month, as well.

The world is bracing for the tariff plan that Trump has pledged to unveil on what he has dubbed "Liberation Day". Major details on the tariffs, including how high they are or what countries could be targeted, are still unclear, but leaders and consumers are preparing for possible trade wars and higher prices.

The US Treasury Department temporarily lifted sanctions against Mr Dmitriev so he could visit the US, according to media reports.

Commenting on the original report of the visit by CNN, Mr Dmitriev wrote on X that "resistance to US-Russia dialogue is real", but improved relations between the countries could be "what the world needs for lasting global security and peace".

Moscow has said President Zelensky has stayed in power beyond the end of his term and is therefore not a valid negotiating partner.

But Kyiv counters that elections were put on hold when martial law was declared and the country struggled in the chaos of a war now entering its fourth year.

More than 100,000 people from Russia's military have died since the country launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour Ukraine, according to data analysed by BBC Russian, independent media group Mediazona and volunteers who have been counting deaths since the war began.

It currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine last updated its casualty figures in December 2024, when Zelensky acknowledged 43,000 Ukrainian deaths among soldiers and officers. Western analysts believe this figure to be an under-estimate.