Moscow confirms contacts with Washington
Talks about the United States removing sanctions from Russia's main investment fund are taking place with the administration of President Donald Trump, according to Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov. Russian news agencies carried his remarks on Wednesday, and he indicated that the head of the Russia Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, who also serves as a Russian presidential envoy, has been energetically pursuing the negotiations.[S1][S2]
Ushakov described the contacts as long-running and said he could not predict where they would end. He explained that Dmitriev's activity is the reason the matter is being discussed at all, and noted that the subject surfaced in news coverage a few days earlier and remains under negotiation.[S1]
A report from Washington preceded the confirmation
The New York Times reported earlier on Wednesday that the Trump administration was weighing whether to drop the sanctions, a report that preceded Ushakov's public comments. The fund at the center of the discussions is a state-backed vehicle designed to draw foreign capital into the Russian economy.[S1]
Concessions already granted to Moscow
Washington has already eased part of the sanctions package it put in place following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Earlier this month, Trump announced that Russia would provide diesel to the US and to global markets, and he suspended restrictions on Russian fuel for a limited period. On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that a fourth diesel tanker was scheduled to depart on Wednesday.[S1]
Trump additionally issued an executive order that set aside significant sanctions and tariffs connected to Russia. Among the measures waived were duties levied on Russian goods and penalties tied to buying the country's oil and gas, which were set to come into force under legislation called the Graham Act, signed into law by Trump last month.[S1]
