Statements by Putin's envoy in Washington contradict Russia's true intentions – ISW

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said this in a new Russian offensive campaign assessment, according to Ukrinform.

According to the report, on April 3, Dmitriev gave several interviews to American media outlets, presenting views that run counter to the Kremlin's current position on Ukraine. During his visit to Washington, he appeared on Fox News and Newsmax, attempting to paint Russia as an attractive market for American investment, claiming that the Russian economy is strong and growing despite Western sanctions.

Dmitriev also claimed that Russia is ready to collaborate with the United States on unspecified projects involving the Arctic, rare earth minerals, and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

In this context, ISW recalled that Dmitriev had recently been at the forefront of Kremlin efforts to undermine the proposed U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal by promoting potential U.S.-Russia mining projects and other avenues of economic and financial cooperation.

Dmitriev notably claimed that Russia "is not asking for lifting of sanctions" and "not making any preconditions for specific sanction relief" in response to a question about whether Russia considers sanctions relief a necessary precondition to a ceasefire agreement. The Kremlin, in contrast, has explicitly demanded sanctions relief from the United States as a precondition for entering into a Black Sea strikes ceasefire.

"The Kremlin remains unwilling to commit to a general ceasefire in Ukraine, continuing to reject the ground ceasefire that U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have offered," ISW analysts wrote.

Dmitriev also made several other statements that diverge from recent statements by other Kremlin officials, for example, saying that "some security guarantees may be possible" for Ukraine.

However, ISW recently assessed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not accept Western-backed security guarantees for Ukraine because their acceptance will represent a major concession, and the Kremlin has rejected the idea of making any concessions on its maximalist territorial and security demands from Ukraine.

“Dmitriev's attempt to present Russia's interests in Ukraine as predominantly economic and financial is also disingenuous. Kremlin officials frequently make demands to address the 'root causes' of the war in Ukraine (NATO's alleged violation of obligations not to expand eastward and Ukraine's alleged violations of the rights of Russian-speaking minorities in Ukraine) as preconditions for any sort of peace agreement. The Kremlin's negotiating position has not changed despite Dmitriev's attempts to soften and deflect from Moscow's demands," the ISW said.

According to ISW analysts, Dmitriev is attempting to use the promise of financial benefits to distract from the Kremlin's continued intransigence in negotiations about Ukraine.

As previously reported, Dmitriev held a series of meetings with members of the U.S. administration and American lawmakers. It is currently unknown whether he met with Donald Trump. This was the first visit by a Russian official to the U.S. since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.