Putin sends an emissary to Washington for the first time to meet with Trump's men.

WashingtonWhile Donald Trump dynamited the commercial bridges with the rest of the world raising a tariff wallA new chapter in the thaw between the United States and Russia was taking place in Washington. A Russian envoy set foot on US soil for the first time since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin repeated the tactics of his American counterpart: instead of sending a diplomat to negotiate the future of the conflict, he sent a businessman. Kirill Dmitriev, director of a Russian investment fund, concluded his visit to the capital on Thursday after meeting with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and other members of the Trump administration. Beyond discussing ceasefire negotiations, Dmitriev also spoke about money.

Dmitriev's visit to Washington followed talks between the United States and Russia in Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine's acceptance of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Trump and Putin. This is a minimal truce in which they agreed to end the bombing of energy infrastructure, now that winter is practically over, and of the Black Sea.

"We are undoubtedly seeing a positive dynamic in our relations," Dmitriev said, according to Russian news agencies. "A series of meetings will still be needed to resolve all the differences. But the most important thing is that we see a positive and creative attitude."

Following the new rhetoric used to define relations between Washington and Moscow, the emissary positively assessed Trump's efforts to get closer to Russia. "I think with the Trump administration, we're now in a place where we're thinking about what's possible, what can actually work, and how we can find a long-term solution." "I think a long-term solution is necessary because we're also thinking about global security and how to ensure that Russia's security concerns are taken into account." One of Putin's demands to end the war is that Ukraine not join NATO, and Trump administration officials are practically taking a concession in this area for granted.

Critical minerals, Arctic exploitation, and human flights to Mars

Beyond negotiating an end to the conflict, Dmitriev explained that he has also discussed the production of critical minerals, cooperation in the Arctic, and even manned flights to Mars. According to the Russian envoy, work is underway to reestablish direct flights between the two countries. No member of the US government has yet commented on the talks, only Trump, who, from Air Force One, confirmed the presence of the Russian envoy in the US.

According to Russian news agencies, Dmitriev said that US companies are interested in Russia and "want to fill the gaps left by the European companies that have left. We see that the ideological constraints that exist among European companies could allow US companies to fill a number of gaps."

In an interview on CNN on Thursday night, Dmitriev also suggested that if the United States lifts sanctions on Russia, it would be easier to establish trade relations. "At this point, we are not asking for any sanctions relief. We are simply discussing that if the United States wants to do more business with Russia... then of course they can," Dmitriev told CNN anchor Phil Mattingly. The envoy, who is the director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, has been affected by the sanctions that the United States and Europe have imposed on Russia since it invaded Ukraine three years ago.

Last month, Trump ordered the State and Treasury departments to compile a list of sanctions against Russia in order to evaluate them and decide whether to lift them. Regarding Dmitriev's comment about the Arctic talks, Trump noted his focus on the trade routes opening up in this region thanks to climate change. In recent days, the US president has become more aggressive in his imperialist aspirations to annex Greenland.