A secretive meeting in late October between Trump administration officials and Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian envoy under U.S. sanctions, has sparked widespread concern among U.S. lawmakers and officials. The meeting, held in Miami, included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), a major Russian sovereign wealth fund, is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and has been central to U.S.-Russia discussions on the Ukraine conflict. The U.S. government granted Dmitriev a special waiver to attend the meeting, which resulted in a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. The plan, leaked this week by Axios, has drawn criticism for appearing to favor Russian interests, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowing not to compromise Ukraine’s sovereignty. The proposal calls for significant concessions from Ukraine, including territorial compromises and a pledge not to join NATO, which contradicts the Trump administration’s recent tough stance on Russia. The plan was presented to Ukraine via the Turkish government before being directly delivered to Kyiv. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt defended the plan, stating it aimed for a ‘win-win scenario’ for both Ukraine and Russia. However, many U.S. officials, including those at the State Department and National Security Council, were reportedly unaware of the discussions, raising concerns about the bypassing of standard interagency processes. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the plan, calling it problematic and unlikely to achieve peace. The meeting has also reignited concerns about Dmitriev’s influence, given his history of leveraging RDIF to build ties with Western governments despite U.S. sanctions. The CIA declined to comment on intelligence community concerns regarding Dmitriev. The situation underscores the complex and contentious nature of U.S.-Russia relations amid ongoing efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
Trump officials’ meeting with Russian spurs questions about Ukraine proposal
