The head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund praised U.S. President Donald Trump as a “problem solver” ahead of the first high-level U.S.-Russia talks in years, set to take place in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
“We really see that President Trump and his team are problem solvers, people who have already addressed a number of big challenges very swiftly, very efficiently, and very successfully,” Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, told reporters in Riyadh.
The talks, led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will focus on ending the war in Ukraine and restoring the broader scope of U.S.-Russia relations, according to Russian officials. The discussions are expected to lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Dmitriev, a former Goldman Sachs banker with a U.S. education, played a key role in backchannel diplomacy between Moscow and Washington during Trump’s first term from 2016 to 2020.
“It’s important to understand that U.S. businesses have lost around $300 billion from exiting Russia,” Dmitriev said. “There is a huge economic toll on many countries due to the current situation, and we believe the way forward is through solutions.”
The meeting in Riyadh underscores growing diplomatic maneuvering between the U.S. and Russia as global leaders assess potential shifts in American foreign policy.
AP
