Russian envoy says Ukraine war is close to 'diplomatic solution', Trump-Putin meeting still on cards

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, said that he believes the United States, Ukraine and Russia are close to reaching a diplomatic solution to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“I believe Russia and the US and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution,” Kirill Dmitriev said on CNN on Friday. Earlier, Dmitriev confirmed that he is in the United States for a long-planned meeting. However, he did not mention with whom he would be meeting.

Multiple American media reports suggested that Dmitriev would hold talks with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami on October 25. Meanwhile, Tass quoted Dmitriev as saying he would also meet other people without naming them.

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The remarks from the Russian envoy came at a time when US President Donald Trump hit Russia's two biggest oil companies with sanctions to press Moscow to end its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On October 22, the US Treasury Department announced that it was sanctioning state-controlled Rosneft and privately owned LUKoil, whose exports, the US claimed, helped Russia in the war.

“These are very big – against their two big oil companies,” Trump said, describing the sanctions as “tremendous.” A day after the sanctions were announced, Brussels targeted Rosneft and Gazpromneft, another major oil company that is a subsidiary of state-controlled gas giant Gazprom.

While speaking to CNN, Dmitriev maintained that sanctions are not such a big issue. He reiterated Putin’s proclamation that Russia will never act under pressure, and the sanctions will eventually lead to higher gasoline prices in the United States, while Moscow will just sell less oil at a higher price.

“So I think the real issue is how to continue a dialogue, how to have a peaceful resolution to the crisis while having realistic solutions rather than put forward unrealistic solutions,” Dmitriev said. When asked about why Putin refuses to freeze the battlelines, Dmitriev said Russia wants not just a cease-fire but a final solution to the conflict. He said a cease-fire can always be broken or used by the warring parties to rearm.

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“It’s a big move by President Zelenskyy to already acknowledge that it’s about battle lines,” Dmitriev said. “His previous position was that Russia should leave completely. So actually, I think we are reasonably close to a diplomatic solution that can be worked out.”

Hopes for another Trump-Putin summit?

Dmitriev also maintained that he believes a Trump-Putin summit will happen, but “probably at a later date.” Last week, Trump and Putin held a phone call and said they would meet his Russian counterpart in Budapest within the next few weeks. However, Trump eventually cancelled the meeting and maintained that it could take place at some other time.

“The Russia–US dialogue will continue, but it is certainly only possible if Russia’s interests are taken into account and treated with respect,” Dmitriev said.

When asked about Russia’s recent attack that hit a kindergarten in Kharkiv, Dmitriev said the Russian military is not targeting kindergartens, but it should be asked about this specific situation. “I’m not a military guy,” he said. “I’m just working to have dialogue and make sure that the conflict is ended as soon as possible.”