Kirill Dmitriev has actually been called whatever from among Russias most prominent investment figures and President Vladimir Putins personal envoy to even a shadow foreign minister.The head of Russias sovereign wealth fund has actually recently stepped into the spotlight as an essential negotiator in Ukraine peace talks and a significantly noticeable player on the global stage.His see to Washington this month the most high-profile by a Russian official given that the 2022 invasion of Ukraine was the most recent step in the emerging thaw in Russia-United States relations under President Donald Trump.In addition to drawing attention with looks on CNN and Fox News during his United States journey, he likewise launched an account on X, which is blocked in Russia, where he posts in English.So who is Kirill Dmitriev and why is he suddenly everywhere?Western education and Russian careerUnlike many Russian authorities, who rarely have a Western education, Dmitriev, who was born in Kyiv, studied at Stanford and Harvard.
He started his profession in the United States with Goldman Sachs and McKinsey before returning to Russia in the 2000s.
By 2011, he was designated head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which he stated was based upon his effective financial investment track record in Russia and not his personal connections.I only started to closely interact with government representatives recently, Dmitriev stated in a 2012 interview.Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russias sovereign wealth fund, speaks to a member of the media on the sidelines of the US-Russia meeting at Riyadhs Diriyah Palace on February 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/ POOL/ AFPAppointed this year as Russias unique envoy on worldwide financial and financial investment cooperation, Dmitriev, 49, also continues to head the RDIF an organization that, according to the United States , Putin and his inner circle of cronies have long relied onto raise funds abroad, including in the United States.Under Dmitrievs leadership, the RDIF forged investment collaborations with funds and corporations from China, Saudi Arabia, Japan, France and the UAE.Dmitriev himself is understood for cultivating relations with foreign political figures including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who he has met lots of times.Though RDIF stresses that it is apolitical and aligned with international standards, the RDIF and Dmitriev were both approved in 2022 by the United States , Canada, the U.K.
and Australia.
The RDIF is also under EU and Ukrainian sanctions.Now playing a crucial role in Russia-United States peace settlements, he took part in a meeting with agents of President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia in February and traveled to the United States a journey that, according to CNN, meant that the United States momentarily raised its sanctions against him to approve him a visa.Diplomatic shadowsWhile Dmitriev has actually been cutting a figure as a key negotiator in peace talks, those who have dealt with him explain an extremely different personality.Kirill is enthusiastic; he truly loves and values himself.
He constantly stresses his distance to the presidents household.
You cant technique him easily, a source who has known Dmitriev personally for a very long time informed The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity.He constantly reacted quite mentally if something went wrong or didnt go according to his strategy.
He could shout and stomp his feet, another person who worked under him in the previous told The Moscow Times.The issue is everybody who has met and dealt with him knows hes an assh ***, and if they state that in public, it could ambush any opportunity of operating again in Russia, a reporter who has actually covered Russia for years informed The Moscow Times, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the danger of professional reprisals.The Insider news outlet quoted another source who understands Dmitriev assayingthat he likes placing on a show with calls from high-ranking [Russian] authorities throughout settlements to press partners into agreeing to deals.According to Russian media sources, Dmitriev has likewise encountered the Foreign Ministry.The investigative news outlet Agentstvo reported that the confrontation in between the 2 camps escalated throughout the very first United States -Russia conference in Saudi Arabia on Feb.
18, as Putin had authorized two different negotiating groups without coordinating them.
[Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov was very surprised to see 3 chairs on the Russian side of the negotiating space, Agentsvo cited its anonymous source as saying, adding that it might not independently confirm a few of the sources claims.When Lavrov was notified that the third seat was for Dmitriev, he reportedly moved the chair far from the table and stated, If he wishes to take part, let Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] tell me himself.Everyone goes to Putin separately, and he informs everyone something different, Agentsvos source said.
Thats part of the reason nobody can clearly articulate Russias demands at the talks.Dmitriev was also presumably the reason Sputnik V the Russian-made coronavirus vaccine that RDIF bankrolled did not receive worldwide certification despite it being the very first in the world to be registered by national authorities, according to previous Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev.It appears that Dmitriev, if he was ever acquainted with Western standards, has actually traded them for the Russian, Putin-era system, said Bondarev, who resigned from the Russian mission at the UN in Geneva after the intrusion of Ukraine.
The Putin system is: Do what we state, and the Westerners will ultimately flex.
We must make them bend.
They shouldnt set the terms for us; we will set the terms for them.Putins aideDmitriev also served as an informal diplomatic envoy in the Persian Gulf, cultivating ties with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, according to Alexei Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).
These objectives were formally framed as investment-driven, critics have described him as a shadow foreign minister whom the Kremlin turns over with delicate tasks, including efforts to set up a conference with Trumps group after his first presidential win and secret plans for developing relations in between Russia and the United States Kirill Dmitriev and Vladimir Putin.kremlin.ruA crucial aspect behind this trust may lie in his close personal connections to Putins inner circle, Russian media suggested.You can solve practically any problem through Kirill Alexandrovich [ Dmitriev], a Moscow entrepreneur told The Insider.Dmitrievs partner Natalia Popova is deputy director of the Innopraktika Foundation, whose head Katerina Tikhonova is widely believed to be Putins child and was reportedly Popovas university classmate.The independent investigative outlet IStories reported that Dmitriev supplied Tikhonova with a Gulfstream G650 for her journeys to Munich and supposedly leaked insider info on the RDIFs service offers to Putins previous son-in-law Kirill Shamalov.
Dmitriev called the investigation among countless fake stories.FBK has actually also implicated Dmitriev of collecting more than 7.5 billion rubles (around $93.75 million) in possessions throughout a number of nations, including France and the UAE.
According to FBK, during the time Dmitriev worked as the RDIFs head, the worth of his real estate increased twentyfold.Further Russia-United States talksFollowing his see to Washington last week, Dmitriev announced more Russian-American contacts to come this week.Undoubtedly, a significant focus is on restoring Russian-American relations, something Ive been dealing with for several years, Dmitriev stated in the interview with Russias state-run Channel One.Russia has stood up to the attempt at a tactical defeat that the [President Joe] Biden administration attempted to enforce, Dmitriev said.The United States is trying to comprehend where the points of merging are between the interests of the United States and those of Russia.
We see the beginning of a respectful, useful dialogue, he added.Pyotr Kozlov and Mack Tubridy contributed reporting.