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By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
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Kirill Dmitriev, a businessman with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is reported to be mediating talks between Moscow and Washington.
Newsweek reached out to the Kremlin for comment via email on Thursday.
Why It Matters
Until President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, named Dmitriev as his primary counterpart in the prisoner exchange that freed U.S. teacher Marc Fogel in Moscow on Tuesday, it was unclear who might serve as Putin's intermediary for negotiations with the U.S. in Trump's second term.
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What To Know
Dmitriev, head of the state-controlled Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), played a crucial role in negotiations leading to Fogel's release, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Earlier, CNN White House reporter Alayna Treene said on X (formerly Twitter), that Witkoff had mentioned "a gentleman from Russia" named Kirill as working with him in Moscow to facilitate Fogel's release. She said in a post shortly after: "Witkoff was referring to Kirill Dmitriev."
Dmitriev was the Russian president's unofficial representative in contacts with the Trump administration during his first term in office in 2016, Reuters reported.
Dmitriev maintains a close working relationship with the Russian president, regularly meeting him to discuss RDIF's ongoing projects.
His wife, Natalia Popova, is a close friend and business partner of Katerina Tikhonova, Putin's youngest daughter, according to an August 2023 report by The Insider, an investigative Russian outlet.
What People Are Saying
Alayna Treene, White House Reporter at CNN, said on X: "I just asked Witkoff who he worked with on the ground in Russia to secure the release of Marc Fogel: 'There's a gentleman from Russia, his name is Kirill, and he had a lot to do with this. He was important, he was an important interlocutor bridging the two side' Witkoff said.
"Witkoff was referring to Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a close Putin ally, sources with knowledge of the exchange said he was referring to tell @matthewchance. Both Dmitriev and the RDIF are under US sanctions."
What Happens Next
Trump and Putin are reportedly engaging in talks to broker potential peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia as the war approaches its fourth year.
"We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other's Nations," Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday.
This article was corrected on 2/17/25 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
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