The United States and Russia have reopened direct talks over the war in Ukraine, marking a major diplomatic shift.
Speaking exclusively to Al Arabiya News’ Hadley Gamble moments after the first round of discussions in Riyadh on Tuesday, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, praised Saudi Arabia’s efforts in facilitating the dialogue.
“Being here, having two sides engaged in a very positive, productive conversation with dialogue was very important. The Saudi side, Crown Prince [Mohammed bin Salman], and his team created a very positive environment.”
The renewed engagement between Washington and Moscow follows years of diplomatic deadlock. “Something was amazingly lacking during the Biden administration,” Dmitriev remarked. “So I think dialogue has started. We need to manage expectations because there are still lots of issues, lots of things that need to be resolved.”
Trump team driving push for peace
Dmitriev credited President Donald Trump for reinitiating diplomatic channels.
“Definitely, President Trump directed his team to engage in a very constructive conversation, in a very positive conversation, and try to finish the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible,” he said.
“The approach acknowledges differences in views, but there’s a major drive to resolve this quickly.”
Europe and Ukraine furious over exclusion
The talks have sparked outrage in Kyiv and across European capitals, where leaders have warned against any deal being struck without them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visibly frustrated, insisted during the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that no agreement could be reached without Ukraine at the table.
Meanwhile, a high-level meeting in Paris meant to coordinate Europe’s response ended in chaos on Monday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz walked out after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron floated the idea of deploying peacekeeping forces before Ukraine had conceded the fight.
“Irritated” by the discussion, Scholz told reporters he found the proposal “completely premature” and “highly inappropriate.”
Dmitriev, however, dismissed Europe’s complaints, emphasizing the importance of direct dialogue between Moscow and Washington.
“Russia and the US didn’t talk directly for a long, long time,” he said. “The great conversation between President Putin and President Trump last week was really remarkable in restarting this engagement process. Russia and the US should be able to speak directly. That’s very important.”
Will Russian gas flow to Germany again?
The prospect of Russian gas returning to Europe remains uncertain. Germany has struggled with energy costs since cutting off Russian supplies, but Dmitriev was cautious when asked about a potential reversal.
“Too early to say,” he admitted. “Let’s think about different economic cooperation possibilities. We shouldn’t raise expectations too far,” Dmitriev told Gamble.
Saudi Arabia at the center of peace efforts
The talks in Riyadh restarted long-stalled diplomatic efforts, Dmitriev said, but major hurdles remain.
"I think the Biden administration really did everything they could to stop any communication, any conversation,” the sovereign wealth boss stated.
“We just restarted,” he said, adding: “But it will be a very hard and difficult road ahead.”
Al Arabiya
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