The talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will probably take place, but at a later stage, the Russian special representative for investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev said in an interview with CNN, BNR reported.
"The meeting between Presidents Putin and Trump will take place, but probably at a later date. I think diplomatic efforts will lead to success, because it is much better to have a dialogue with Russia than like President Biden, who did not have one and wanted our strategic defeat, and obviously this strategy failed."
Kirill Dmitriev said that Russia wants a final resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, and not a ceasefire, which he described as a temporary measure. The Russian representative noted the change in the position of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and stated that Washington, Moscow and Kiev are close to reaching a diplomatic solution:
"A big step forward on the part of President Zelensky is that he recognized that this is about the front lines. You know, his previous position was that Russia should completely withdraw, so I think we are quite close to a diplomatic solution that can be worked out."
Kirill Dmitriev also commented on the idea of building a tunnel between Alaska and the Russian Far East. According to him, the project is achievable and can be implemented, but before that happens, political difficulties between the countries must be overcome.
Dmitriev arrived on Friday on a long-planned visit to Washington. Earlier in the week, the planned Russia-US summit was postponed to Tuesday because Russia's refusal to immediately cease fire cast a shadow over attempts at negotiations, Reuters notes, quoted by BTA.
Trump then said that he had canceled his planned meeting with Putin in Budapest due to a lack of progress in diplomatic efforts to end the war and a feeling that the timing was inappropriate.
However, Dmitriev said after arriving in Washington: "I believe that Russia, the United States and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution". The Kremlin's special envoy did not provide further details.
A number of European countries are working with Ukraine on a new proposal for a ceasefire along the current front line. Earlier this week, European diplomats told Reuters that key ideas for the new proposal were being discussed, with the US set to remain central.
Dmitriev arrived in Washington just days after the US imposed sanctions on two of Russia's biggest oil companies. The punitive measures against Rosneft and Lukoil are aimed at pressuring Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, the British news agency added.
Despite Washington's move, Dmitriev said that dialogue between Russia and the US would continue. "This is certainly possible only if Russia's interests are respected and if it is treated with respect," Dmitriev previously told a Reuters reporter.
He predicted that the new sanctions would have the opposite effect. "They will only lead to an increase in the price of gasoline at American gas stations," Dmitriev said.
The Russian diplomat refused to answer the question of which American representatives he would meet. According to the American news website "Axios" Dmitriev will talk with the White House special envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday.