Russia-US talks: High-stakes diplomacy to end Ukraine conflict
Russia and the USA are preparing for talks regarding ending the war in Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, on the Russian side of the table will sit close collaborators of Putin, who have many years of experience in diplomacy.
The Russian team will include Yuri Ushakov. The 77-year-old has been advising Putin on foreign affairs for over a decade. He was also the Russian ambassador to the USA.
Beside him will be the 70-year-old Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russian intelligence and a member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
Bloomberg reports that the Russian delegation will also include the 49-year-old Kirill Dmitriev, currently the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. His participation in the negotiations with the Americans was decided by the contacts he developed within Trump’s circle during his first term.
Dmitriev was also involved in negotiations for the release of a former US embassy employee in Moscow, Marc Fogel, from a Russian prison.
End of the war soon? Negotiators’ names emerge
On Wednesday, after a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, Trump announced that he ordered the "immediate" start of negotiations and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff are to participate.
However, he did not mention the Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Gen. Keith Kellogg.
