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April 30th, 2025 | 4:22 PM ET

Who is Putin’s Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev?

A Russian businessman with longstanding ties to the U.S. was Putin's emissary of a choice for a critical visit to the White House

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev in Moscow on April 2, 2021. (Photo by ALEXEY DRUZHININ/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
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Posted: April 10th, 2025

By The Cipher Brief

EXPERT INTERVIEW – The visit of Kirill Dmitriev to Washington last week marked the first time in more than three years that a envoy from the Kremlin had visited the White House. Vladimir Putin’s emissary wasn’t a diplomat or general or senior official from his government; Dmitriev is a wealthy businessman, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, the RDIF, and his resume that includes deep ties to the U.S. He holds degrees from Harvard and Stanford, and has worked, among other places, at McKinsey and Goldman Sachs.

Dmitriev held two days of meetings in Washington, including a White House session with President Donald Trump’s senior aide on Russia negotiations, Steve Witkoff. After the meeting, Dmitriev praised the Trump administration for hearing “Russia’s position on many issues” and made clear that his talks had gone beyond discussions about ending the war in Ukraine. 

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Categorized as:Reporting Russia UkraineTagged with:

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