Washington DC / Moscow, 4 April 2025
Multiple reliable sources confirm that Kirill Dmitriev – a sanctioned Russian official and head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund (RDIF) – traveled to Washington, D.C. in the first week of April 2025 for high-level talks. This marked the first visit by a senior Russian representative to the U.S. since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to media reports, Dmitriev met with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during a two-day visit (April 2–3) as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to broker a ceasefire and advance peace negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war. Dmitriev himself announced on Telegram that, at Putin’s request, he would hold meetings in Washington with Trump administration officials on those dates. Notably, the U.S. Treasury temporarily waived sanctions on Dmitriev to allow him to obtain a visa for this trip – an indication that these talks were officially sanctioned and were part of a broader peace effort.
Statements on Western Security Guarantees for Ukraine
During and after the Washington meetings, Dmitriev gave an interview to Fox News in which he described the talks at the White House as having a “positive outcome” and hinted at a significant shift in Moscow’s position.
Specifically, Dmitriev suggested that Russia might accept some form of Western security guarantees for Ukraine – something Russian officials had never openly entertained before. He was quoted as saying, “Some security guarantees in some form may be acceptable,” although he did reiterate that Ukrainian membership in NATO is “not at all possible”.
This quote was reported by Politico Europe and Euromaidan, a Ukrainian news platform, which noted that Dmitriev’s remarks to Fox News represent a departure from the Kremlin’s prior hardline stance (previously, Moscow demanded Ukrainian “demilitarization” and staunchly opposed any NATO or Western military presence in Ukraine).
The authenticity of Dmitriev’s quotes is well-substantiated
Politico directly cited his interview and statements, and Fox News coverage also confirms Dmitriev’s key points – including that discussions in D.C. went well and that the Trump team had made “tremendous progress” compared to the previous U.S. administration. In summary, Dmitriev did visit Washington and did indicate Russia’s openness to some kind of security guarantee for Kyiv, according to on-record interviews and official reporting by outlets like Fox News and Politico.
In fact, the context of Dmitriev’s visit was Trump’s frustration with the slow progress – just days before, Trump publicly warned he was “pissed off” at Putin for possibly dragging out the peace talks and even threatened secondary sanctions on Russian oil if Russia didn’t seriously seek peace. Thus, Dmitriev’s trip and his openness to security guarantees can be seen as part of behind-the-scenes efforts by Washington and Moscow to find a formula to end the conflict.
Western observers noted that Russia floating the idea of security guarantees for Ukraine is unprecedented, and it may indicate some flexibility in negotiations (short of allowing NATO membership). However, it’s also clear that both sides remain cautious – Ukraine insists on robust security assurances (NATO or equivalent) to prevent future aggression, and Russia’s acceptance of any Western role would likely come with strict conditions.
In sum, Kirill Dmitriev’s Washington visit and his remarks about security guarantees were real and verified by multiple outlets, and they were an integral element of the broader peace discussions underway in early 2025 to try to halt the Russia-Ukraine war.
Sources:
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Politico: Dmitriev’s visit and quote on security guarantees – politico.eu
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Fox News: Dmitriev’s Washington meetings and interview details – foxnews.com
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Euromaidan Press: Coverage of Dmitriev-Witkoff meeting and context – euromaidanpress.com
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Euromaidan Press “About Us”: Mission, funding, and editorial standards — euromaidanpress.com
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Media Bias/Fact Check: Rating of Euromaidan Press (bias and factual reliability): mediabiasfactcheck.com
e-Summary by ChatGPT Deep Research, prompted by IEU